Oral histories and You Tube
Taking a break from writing my chapter and thanks to an article on BBC Online, earlier today I came across a video weblog by 79 year old Peter Oakley from good old Leicester who, going by the name 'geriatric1927', regularly uploads videos of himself reminiscing about his life, to the video-sharing website 'You Tube'.
At Viv's research seminar today she mentioned something that Cynthia Brown had talked about at the Oral History training a few weeks ago: how when George Ewart Evans was doing his pioneering work with agricultural workers, he would be quite stern with his subjects if they went 'off-topic'. What strikes me about Peter Oakley's weblog (which is well worth a look, if you get a chance) is that it is essentially unmediated. He gets to talk about what he wants, to remember what he wants, to present the viewpoint or perspective that he wants. Oral history is something which is often talked about in relation to democratising history, but, of course, as the tale about Evans reminds us, there's usually somebody 'pulling the strings' in the background, i.e. the person choosing the subject, the questions they ask, the editing process, the interpretative slant they put on the result, the way the recording or transcript is then used. You Tube, seems to me, especially where the output is controlled entirely by the subject - as is the case with 'geriatric1927' - is the ulimate in oral history. At the very least it's the natural successor, perhaps even the death knell, to the oral historian armed with a digital recorder and a notebook of questions. Which begs the question, who's going to collect and preserve online recordings for posterity? Will Peter Oakley's efforts be for nothing, if ultimately his remembrances are forgotten? Is the pace of technology leaving museums and archives behind? perhaps some of the Digital Heritage people in the Department would like to comment?!
At Viv's research seminar today she mentioned something that Cynthia Brown had talked about at the Oral History training a few weeks ago: how when George Ewart Evans was doing his pioneering work with agricultural workers, he would be quite stern with his subjects if they went 'off-topic'. What strikes me about Peter Oakley's weblog (which is well worth a look, if you get a chance) is that it is essentially unmediated. He gets to talk about what he wants, to remember what he wants, to present the viewpoint or perspective that he wants. Oral history is something which is often talked about in relation to democratising history, but, of course, as the tale about Evans reminds us, there's usually somebody 'pulling the strings' in the background, i.e. the person choosing the subject, the questions they ask, the editing process, the interpretative slant they put on the result, the way the recording or transcript is then used. You Tube, seems to me, especially where the output is controlled entirely by the subject - as is the case with 'geriatric1927' - is the ulimate in oral history. At the very least it's the natural successor, perhaps even the death knell, to the oral historian armed with a digital recorder and a notebook of questions. Which begs the question, who's going to collect and preserve online recordings for posterity? Will Peter Oakley's efforts be for nothing, if ultimately his remembrances are forgotten? Is the pace of technology leaving museums and archives behind? perhaps some of the Digital Heritage people in the Department would like to comment?!
Comments
For me oral history, as with any interview, is as much about the interaction between the individual and the researcher. This might reflect an imbalance of power but some people are less confident and might not feel that their experiences are worth capturing. However with a sympathetic and interested researcher this might help to draw out stories that they might never reveal elsewhere. So whilst I think it is fantastic that some people are choosing to record their history themselves I don't think oral history will die out completely as not everyone will be brave enough to put themselves on the web. Its great though that people have a forum to do so - don't get me wrong!
Ceri