070178 AR AR Methoden- Workshop (2018S)

The seminar offers a basic introduction to oral history theory, methodology and practice for students who want to extend their methodological sensitivity and competences in critical use of oral history interviews in their research work. The historical, source-critical perspective will be broadened by sociological and anthropological approaches in order to provide better orientation in different ways of interviewing and interpreting the oral accounts of eyewitnesses. The history of oral history with special focus on its theoretical development will be an important element of this first part of the seminar.
In the second part, we will enter research fields of 20th century Central and Eastern Europe history; in particular to these concrete research examples which rely on, or at least use extensively, oral historical sources, both created by researchers who then analyze them as well as those found in the archives. These fields cover, but are not limited to, the following topics: World War II and National Socialism (with special emphasis on the Holocaust and concentration camp experiences); postwar migrations and social adaptation; everyday life & work under socialism; dissident experiences, and the transformation after 1989 seen "from below".
We also encourage students to suggest topics of their particular interest and to bring their own oral history and traditional archival sources to the seminar in order to discuss theoretical, methodological and practical questions they are confronted with in their individual research.