Changes

The first oral history archives focused on interviews with prominent politicians, diplomats, military officers, and business leaders.  By the 1960s and ‘70s, interviewing began being employed more often when historians investigate [[history from below]].  Whatever the field or focus of a project, oral historians attempt to record the memories of many different people when researching a given event.  Interviewing a single person provides a single perspective. Individuals may misremember events or distort their account for personal reasons.  By interviewing widely, oral historians seek points of agreement among many different sources, and also record the complexity of the issues.  The nature of memory–both individual and community–is as much a part of the practice of oral as are the stories collected.  

The first oral history archives focused on interviews with prominent politicians, diplomats, military officers, and business leaders.  By the 1960s and ‘70s, interviewing began being employed more often when historians investigate [[history from below]].  Whatever the field or focus of a project, oral historians attempt to record the memories of many different people when researching a given event.  Interviewing a single person provides a single perspective. Individuals may misremember events or distort their account for personal reasons.  By interviewing widely, oral historians seek points of agreement among many different sources, and also record the complexity of the issues.  The nature of memory–both individual and community–is as much a part of the practice of oral as are the stories collected.