Guest Lecture on How to do Oral History: Networks & Future Prospects

The workshop on “How to Do Oral History” organized by the Department of English and Cultural Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pune Lavasa Campus, provided students and faculty with a comprehensive and practice-oriented introduction to oral history as a research methodology. Conducted by Dr. Rahi Soren, Assistant Professor at Jadavpur University, the session brought together theoretical insights and field-based reflections, enabling participants to understand both the ethical and practical dimensions of documenting lived experiences and cultural memory. 

The workshop commenced with an introduction to the resource person, highlighting her interdisciplinary work that connects ecology, indigenous knowledge systems, oral history, and digital humanities. This contextual grounding established the relevance of oral history within broader academic and research frameworks. The session was designed as an interactive platform, encouraging participants to share their ongoing experiences and challenges related to fieldwork, particularly their engagement with local and indigenous communities. 

A central theme of the workshop was the importance of field immersion in oral history research. Dr. Soren emphasized that understanding communities cannot be achieved solely through virtual interactions or secondary materials. Instead, physical engagement with the lived realities of people is crucial. She illustrated this through her own field experiences in ecologically vulnerable and conflict-prone regions, where factors such as environmental threats and socio-economic instability shape everyday life. These reflections highlighted the need for researchers to remain sensitive to the context in which interviews are conducted, recognizing that external conditions significantly influence how individuals narrate their experiences. 

The discussion also foregrounded the significance of trust-building in oral history practice. Participants shared their initial attempts to engage with the Katkari community in nearby villages, noting challenges such as language barriers, hesitation, and occasional hostility. Dr. Soren underscored that trust is foundational to oral history, as it is a collaborative process rather than a one-sided extraction of information. She stressed that researchers act as facilitators of narratives rather than owners of stories, and that sustained engagement over time is essential to developing meaningful relationships with communities. 

An important methodological aspect addressed in the workshop was the concept of documentation and consent. The participants described their use of video recordings and verbal consent during initial field visits, particularly in contexts where written consent forms may be viewed with suspicion due to past experiences of exploitation. Building on this, Dr. Soren elaborated on the ethical responsibilities of researchers, outlining three essential components of consent: permission to record, clarity about the future use of the material, and the participant’s right to withdraw or modify their contributions. This emphasis on ethical accountability reinforced the importance of transparency and respect in oral history research. 

The workshop further explored the conceptual foundations of oral history, particularly its distinction from general interviews or journalistic practices. Oral history was presented as a methodological approach that seeks to document personal narratives as part of a larger effort to preserve collective memory and cultural knowledge. Dr. Soren highlighted that in a diverse country like India, many lived experiences remain undocumented in formal archives. Oral history thus serves as a vital tool for bringing marginalized voices and intergenerational knowledge into academic discourse. 

Another key focus of the session was the role of memory in oral history. The speaker acknowledged that personal narratives are often shaped by subjective recollections, which may be selective or even contradictory. Rather than viewing this as a limitation, she encouraged researchers to approach such narratives as valuable perspectives that reveal how individuals interpret and make sense of their experiences. At the same time, she suggested that oral accounts can be supplemented with other sources such as archival records and material evidence, allowing for a more nuanced and layered understanding of history. 

The workshop also highlighted the role of language and cultural context in oral history documentation. Participants were encouraged to conduct interviews in languages that are comfortable for the narrators, recognizing that linguistic choices significantly influence the authenticity and depth of narratives. Additionally, the process of recording speech contributes to the preservation of dialects and oral traditions, thereby extending the scope of oral history beyond individual stories to include broader cultural heritage. 

Overall, the workshop successfully combined theoretical insights with practical guidance, offering participants a nuanced understanding of oral history as both a research methodology and an ethical practice. By emphasizing empathy, reflexivity, and sustained engagement, the session encouraged students to approach oral history not merely as a data collection tool, but as a collaborative and transformative process. The workshop aligned closely with interdisciplinary learning objectives, particularly within the fields of Digital Humanities and cultural studies, and inspired participants to incorporate oral history methods into their academic and research pursuits.