He discusses the reliability of oral evidence in comparison with other sources and considers the social context of its development. He looks at the relationship between memory, the self and identity. He traces oral history through its own past and weighs up the recent achievements of a movement which has become international, with notably strong developments in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America, South Africa and the Far East, despite resistance from more conservative academics. This new edition combines the classic text of The Voice of the Past with many new sections, including especially the worldwide development of different forms of oral history and the parallel memory boom, as well as discussions of theory in oral history and of memory, trauma and reconciliation.
The author offers advice on designing an oral history project and discusses the reliability of oral evidence. This third edition considers the use of new technologies, including video, in the recording of historical information.
In this new edition of a standard text on the subject, Paul Thompson argues that oral history, though largely neglected by conventional historians, can help to create a truer, more democratic picture of the past, documenting the lives and feelings of all types of people. In addition to tracing the development, theory, and practical methods of oral history, this edition includes many new examples and chapters, and an enlarged bibliography, bringing Thompson's work completely up to date.
Experience the firsthand account of the founding of Richwood, Ohio in 1832. W.H. Frank was just 10 years old when the very first log cabin was built in Richwood. He recounts his experiences with vivid detail of the wilderness that eventually transforms into the bustling village we have today. Rewritten from Richwood Gazette articles circa 1900.
The fading rays of the sun were falling through the spruce, and the cold inspiring winds threw the branches. I whispered, "Felix, wake up," as I shook him. "What happened?" Reluctantly muttered. "It's morning. Let's get up, go down and go out. I can't wait another minute to see the places the father told us."