ORAL HISTORY

The course is among the Core Educational Activities of the Master's degree course in History and ACEL; it is also among the Related or Additional Studies of other Master's degree courses.
The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to oral history and to the use of oral sources for historical and social research.

Knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge of research practices with oral sources: interview, transcription, interpretation, conservation
- knowledge of the evolution and of the main exponents of oral history, especially in Italy
- knowledge of the theoretical and epistemological debate related to oral history
- knowledge of ethical, deontological and legal issues involved in oral history
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to apply the research methodology with oral sources
- ability to choose the most appropriate ways to do it
Communication and relational skills:
- know how to present and discuss a theoretical or historiographical text in a seminar context orally
- knowing how to interact in a peer group
- know how to express the results of a research in a short written text

A voice recorder.
At least elementary knowledge of the Italian language.
Knowledge of the essential lines of contemporary history.

The foundamentals of oral history. The practice of in-depth interviewing. Historiography that used oral sources.
A part of the course will be dedicated this year to Nuto Revelli (in the centenary of his birth) and to the application of oral history to research on local cultures in a rural setting.
Each student will have to carry out an interview, taking care of the different phases: registration, transcription, presentation in written form (paper).

1. Alessandro Portelli, Storie orali. Racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007 (ai fini dell’esame sarà sufficiente lo studio della “Parte prima. Linguaggi” pp. 5-108 e dei saggi alle pp. 109-126, 235-250, 323-340, 349-372).
2. Nuto Revelli, Il testimone. Conversazioni e interviste, Torino, Einaudi
3. A book choosen from:
- Nuto Revelli, La strada del Davai, Torino, Einaudi, 1966.
- Id., Il mondo dei vinti. Testimonianze di vita contadina, Torino, Einaudi, 1977.
- Id., L'anello forte. La donna: storie di vita contadina, Torino, Einaudi, 1985.
Further short texts in pdf format will be made available on the moodle.unive.it e-learning platform.
Students who do not attend classes, in addition to the texts above, will study Bruno Bonomo, Voci della memoria. L'uso delle fonti orali nella ricerca storica, Roma, Carocci, 2013.

Oral exam on the reference books.
It's also required a short paper from an interview.
Attending students: 30% of the vote on oral examination + 40% of the vote on participation in lessons + 30% of the vote on the paper.
Not attending students: 50% of the vote on oral examination + 50% of the vote on the term paper.

Lectures and seminar discussion on texts.
Laboratory on the practice of the interview.

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development