Reflections on the use of oral history techniques in social research

Abstract

This article draws on the author's experience of undertaking an oral history of her mother, as part of a Masters Degree. The paper endorses oral histories as a valid methodology and challenges some of the criticisms raised, specifically regarding memory and interview relationships. Traditionally, the written word has provided the favoured medium for capturing historical events, but the data must be questioned to establish if they are genuine or not; who was the author, for what social purpose were they produced. Thus they may paint a biased picture of the past. The voice of ‘ordinary people’ has been ignored and therefore their experiences have remained obscured. Critics such as Hobsbawm (1997) are quick to highlight the limitations of oral histories and suggest that oral histories rely heavily on memory, which can be flawed and prone to exaggeration. I contest Hobsbawm's (1997) assertions that memory is necessarily flawed; my mother's memory was acute and extremely detailed; the data generated were rich. Interview relationships are also questioned, suggesting that the more intimate the relationship between interview and interviewer, the more the desire for social conformity is increased. In the light of my experience, there is no evidence to suggest that my intimate relationship with my mother influenced the research process.