Centre for Scottish & Celtic Studies

Report on the ‘Introduction to Oral History Workshop’

(Scottish Oral History, University of Strathclyde, 13-14 Jan, 2022)

CSCS Seedcorn funding made it possible for Niall to attend the Scottish Oral History Centre’s (Strathclyde) ‘Introduction to Oral History’ workshop run by Dr Alison Chand (Strathclyde. UHI).

The workshop introduced Niall to some of the key theoretical values and ideas underpinning oral history methodology. This involved flagging up key oral history scholars such as Paul Thomson, Alessandro Portelli, and Lynn Abrams. This section encouraged participants to recognise the unique value of oral history methodology, particularly in providing insights into perspectives, attitudes and memory that they may not get from written sources. This will be useful not only in justifying the use of the methodology, but also in realising the potential of the material Niall generates. Notably, some of these theories will prove useful when critically analysing other sources, such as poetry and the oral testimonies given to the Napier Commission.

The next section introduced the preparation and carrying out of interviews. This section allowed Niall to think more critically about his draft interview questions. He found the practice interview exercise particularly valuable. This exercise highlighted the importance of reflection on the part of the interviewee, in order to conduct yourself in a way that creates rapport and allows the interviewee to speak freely. Allowing him to reflect on these challenges and his own strengths and weaknesses in a workshop setting was invaluable in preparing him to carry out his own interviews. Chand, as a working oral historian, was also able to provide examples from her own experiences.

The workshop then provided information on the technicalities of interviewing and managing data. This gave Niall insights into the most suitable recording equipment/techniques for oral history interviewing. In the context of the ongoing pandemic, Chand also introduced participants to new and evolving techniques for remote interviewing and their own experience of these. The information given on best practice for managing file types was also useful, again because Chand could provide first-hand insights.

The final section ran through some of the key ethical and legal considerations when carrying out oral history interviews. This was useful as it provided information on data management and GDPR as it specifically relates to oral history. This is helpful as Niall puts together an application for ethical approval, and attempts to process and understand the universal guidance provided by GDPR and the University of Glasgow.

Given Niall's intention to employ oral history methodology and theory as an element of his PhD, this workshop was hugely valuable in introducing him to the skills required to carry out oral history interviews. The workshop also enabled him to establish contact with an established oral historian based at the Centre, setting a precedent for future contact as my use of oral history methodology progresses.

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First published: 26 January 2022