Talking about Remembering and Forgetfulness in Oral History Interviews

Abstract

In this article, the author seeks to open a discussion of explicit talk about remembering in oral history interviews. He explores ways of talking about remembering and forgetfulness in oral history interviews and the effects of such talk on the interview relationship as well as on the process of recall itself. The article provides examples of collaborative remembering between the narrator and the interviewer, the recall of specific details and reports of exceptional clarity of memory as well as justifications of faulty memory. Reported speech in oral history narratives is considered as a clear case of constructing as opposed to remembering the past. Throughout, the author frames questions concerning the significance of talk about remembering and forgetfulness for the evaluation of the events and personal identities expressed in the oral history interview.