Expert Panel Session on Oral History of the Country – (Part 2)

"The world today is at the stage of specialized war narration"

Compiled by: Maryam Asadi Jafari
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2026-6-9

Note: According to the Oral History website, the “First Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History; with a focus on sustainability, the Sacred Defense, and resistance” was held online on the evening of Wednesday, May 20, 2026. This session was organized by the Deputy for Science, Research, and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, in collaboration with the Foundation for Preservation of Sacred Defense Works and Values. The initiative aimed to create synergy and cohesion among activists in the field of oral history to promote the oral history of sustainability, resilience, the Sacred Defense, and resistance, as well as to facilitate the management of interdisciplinary knowledge regarding the Second and Third Imposed Wars.

Iran Has Not Trained Academic Military Historians

Dr. Abolfazl Hassanabadi, an oral history researcher and head of the Documents Department at the Library, Museum, and Documentation Center of Astan Quds Razavi, stated in another part of the meeting: "About 15 years ago, in an article, I raised a subject titled ‘Military Historians’ or ‘Historian-Military Personnel,’ a topic we have yet to fully address. Who can conduct the oral history of war? This is a completely fundamental question. Can only military personnel enter the field of the military oral history of the Sacred Defense? Or can civilians also engage in this work? Is the narrative of war’s oral history merely a military narrative of war? Ultimately, we need another narrative of war history. What has been done so far is mostly the military narrative of war history, produced by military-historians, and this is a significant issue. If you investigate, you will realize that most books published in this field are centered on the military oral history of war.

“Fundamentally, do we need to view the war from another perspective in the field of oral history? This is a major question mark. The reality is that in Iran, we do not have military historians in the academic sense. Globally, experts work [separately and professionally] as naval, ground, and air force historians. The whole world is pursuing specialized war narrative-building, which we lack in Iran. Now is the time to address the oral history of war more seriously from this perspective. At least in the last 30 years, to what extent have we viewed the oral history of war through a scientific and academic lens? It is true that we have Imam Ali (AS) University and Imam Hossein (AS) University, but the reality is that we have not yet trained military historians in the sense that exists globally (an interdisciplinary field bridging history and war)”.

The Importance of an International Perspective on the Oral History of Iran’s Imposed Wars

Dr. Hassanabadi continued: “Has war, in essence, become a historical subject for us or not? This is a very important discussion. If we accept war as a historical subject, then it must be approached differently. Historicizing war itself is a major question mark. Do we want, like the rest of the world, to historicize war or not? If war is regarded as a historical subject, then the questions, the perspectives on the issues raised in the history of war, and even the outcomes will change. We are dealing with completely fundamental issues in this field.

“In addition to this, after all these years and alongside the efforts of people such as Dr. Norouei, Dr. Abolhasani, and other colleagues, we still have not been able to train oral history historians. Another point is the international perspective on the history of war. The time has come to look at war from an international standpoint. You must create differences in perspective and in the mode of presentation so that you can present war in accordance with the world’s tastes and expectations. Yet we pay little attention to this. The world is interested both in the military narrative of the history of war and in the people’s narrative of the history of war. Our war was among those wars that were both military and popular, and a large part of the country was involved in it. However, we have not entered into presenting the people’s narrative of the history of war to the world, even though the world is interested in this subject.

“Another point is the scholarly documentation of war experience, which we must address in the field of military knowledge. We have not approached the military knowledge of war in a purposeful, conscious, and archival manner, and this is among the very important issues. Its requirements and necessities must be identified, and the important question is whether we can now present the achievements of the military history of war in various fields or not. Is it classified or not? These are among the challenging issues.

“The final point in the field of war history is that we really do not know how much work has been done in the field of war. In reality, we currently do not have accurate statistics in the field of the oral history of war. No one can say how many interviews have been conducted in the oral history of war. Is it 20,000 hours? 100,000 hours? The numbers are unclear, and that is not good at all.

“The first step for any decision-making and policymaking is having data and information, and this is exactly where we have a problem. We really need to conclude how much material and content we have in the oral history of war field. Which topics have been worked on, and how much? Which areas have not been worked on, and how much?

“In my view, the Army is underappreciated in the field of oral history. In the world, importance is given to the ‘personal military narrative of war.’ That is why the Air Force and Navy have military historians. The Army must have its own narrative of war history. Future generations are going to use this material for historical research and arrive at interpretations. My recommendation is that our colleagues in the Army should pursue their own narrative of war, and this is the Army’s rightful claim. We must enter the discussion of narrative-building within defined frameworks and standards.

“Every field of oral history should have its own oral history guideline. For example, the U.S. Army has its own oral history guideline, which differs from the U.S. Air Force oral history guideline. Note that the comprehensive standards of oral history are the same. But each field of war history also has its own oral history guideline. We have a ‘general narrative-building of oral history’ and a ‘specialized narrative-building of oral history,’ and we have still not entered the specialized form. No specific standards have been defined in this area, and I hope this Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History will address that further.”

Then, Colonel Hamid Heidari, Head of the Organization for Research, Education, and Promotion of Sacred Defense Studies, pointed out that many oral history topics of the Armed Forces are not for public release. He emphasized: “Today, we must train individuals so that in the future, posterity will know. We must train historians ourselves so that we have no concerns and, while observing the main frameworks, bring this task to fruition and train specialized historians for the next 5 to 10 years. Apart from the discussion of the Oral History Conference, we must also strive in the field of empowerment and training of specialized personnel.”

New Generation Wars Demand New Oral History

Dr. Reza Jahanfar, Director of Knowledge and Science Production at the Deputy of Science, Research, and Technology of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also said: “The Army has 7 universities and 30 research units, and at the request of the Foundation for Preservation of Antiquities and Publishing the Values of the Sacred Defense, it has been decided to establish an Oral History program at one of the Army’s universities, at the master’s or doctoral level. Meetings have been held with the Ministry of Science in this regard, but the issue of training military historians within the Armed Forces is an important matter that must be placed on the agenda. I believe Dr. Hassanabadi’s proposal is correct. Together with Dr. Azizi, the scientific secretary of the conference, we will certainly hold a meeting on this matter and present a plan to the General Staff and the Ministry of Science.”

Dr. Mehdi Kamoos was the final speaker at the “First Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History; with a focus on sustainability, the Sacred Defense, and resistance.” He presented his views as follows:

“When the name of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is mentioned, two images come to mind: first, trust, and second, the popular nature of the Army. Because of the issue of conscription and other matters within the Army, it is considered one of the grassroots institutions. Second, the Army is trusted by the people. Alongside these two images, the discussion of organizing and executing large-scale projects also comes to mind, and it is expected that plans will be implemented on a large scale, as has been the case globally. Particularly in the field of oral history, the armies of the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out work in very high numbers and have been able to some extent to implement the popular and principled aspects of oral history. When an army in a country executes or supports oral history, it turns into a document. When an army or military force conducts oral history, its credibility is higher than some other organizations, and in fact, it gains international credibility. In this regard, observing research principles and documentary discussions in this matter will take on multiplied importance.”

“We have no historical precedent for the ‘new-generation wars’ we are currently facing (neither in literature, history, nor documentation). We had precedents for previous wars, but we have none for technology-driven wars, which are full-scale hybrid wars where people are constantly confronted with surprises. If we act effectively in the field of oral history, we will not only succeed in explaining our history but will also become a model on the international stage. In my opinion, new-generation wars demand a new oral history. In these wars, cities become the front lines, and we may face an assassination or a shock at any moment. The speed and intensity of these wars are high, and technology plays a very significant role. We are in a state of ignorance regarding this type of war, and this unpredictability is one of its defining characteristics. I believe these two axes are worthy of attention.

“The 25-year comprehensive sanctions against Iran are unique in history, yet we do not have an oral history of sanctions. Two years ago, I wrote a proposal in this regard and submitted it to the National Library, the Art Bureau, and other institutions; the reality is that others could write better proposals and carry out the work. In any case, we lack an oral history of sanctions and do not know how these sanctions have affected our people and our lifestyles. They have impacted marriage, divorce, medicine, the situation of patients, education, migration, and all aspects of our lives. When the Army is involved, such expectations will naturally arise as well.”

According to the secretary of the National Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History, the results of the programs and actions related to the Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History will be presented as follows: “Providing strategic documents and reports to the session members, the public, and relevant offices and organizations,” “Publishing books, collections of articles, special issues, journals, etc., in the field of oral history and related interdisciplinary knowledge,” “Completing the necessary data for databases,” “Publishing research reports in the form of CDs, etc.,” “Holding lectures, specialized meetings, knowledge-enhancing workshops, and other scientific and research events,” and “Offering proposals and recommendations derived from knowledge packages extracted from the oral history of individuals, places, and events related to sustainability, resilience, Sacred Defense, and resistance to relevant organizations.”

Furthermore, the resolutions of the “First Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History; with a focus on sustainability, the Sacred Defense, and resistance” are as follows:

1. Holding short-term oral history courses for requesting organizations.
2. Holding a session on the oral history of Iranian sports, hosted by the Army.
3. Holding a session on the oral history of military personnel, hosted by the Army.
4. Considering the goals and functions of the National Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History, the guideline for the mentioned session will be prepared by the Army’s Deputy of Science, Research, and Technology and sent to the meeting members to be reviewed and, if possible, approved at the next meeting of the National Session of the Country’s Expert Panel on Oral History, and subsequently sent to the Foundation for the Preservation of Antiquities and Publishing the Values of the Sacred Defense.

The End

Expert Panel Session on Oral History of the Country – (Part 1)