Anna Green's article discusses individual remembering and collective memories. She questions if these individual memories are significant in any way and can they challenge dominant memories?
Why would they not be important? Individual memories are significant as together, several of these form a collective memory of a society. This collective memory becomes a part of the oral history of a nation which is important to trace the events of the past.
What is oral history? The best way to describe it is that “it is the contribution of memory in historical research” (Bornat 1). History is the focus on recording certain events in a particular way and oral history focuses on recording memories of individuals, reminisced and narrated by them as they interpret it. Through oral history one is able to draw out a memory and gain a better “understanding of the past experienced both individually and collectively” (Bornat 2). Bornat also explains in her essay that oral history relays the events of history with a better understanding of the social processes by culture, class and gender.
Our memories are important to us as they stay with us for as long as we live. Be they haunting memories, good memories or sad memories, they always have an impact on the human mind. The memories live with us. Sometimes one cannot rid of these memories until they are relayed to others. When recording oral history, memories play a significant role as the details observed and remembered by each individual are different. Every individual chooses to remember what is significant to him and all these memories together help record the events and details that otherwise go unnoticed. For example, the events of the 1947 India, Pakistan partition narrated by individual are different as they narrate only the part which has left an impact on their minds therefore one gets an insight into the minds of individuals and communities of a society. Undoubtedly it is challenging to accurately transfer memories into something tangible. When it comes to recollection oral history can vary but it becomes almost accurate if the documentation is personally more important or significant to the narrator. Therefore it is an important medium of documentation of history and memories.
Why would they not be important? Individual memories are significant as together, several of these form a collective memory of a society. This collective memory becomes a part of the oral history of a nation which is important to trace the events of the past.
What is oral history? The best way to describe it is that “it is the contribution of memory in historical research” (Bornat 1). History is the focus on recording certain events in a particular way and oral history focuses on recording memories of individuals, reminisced and narrated by them as they interpret it. Through oral history one is able to draw out a memory and gain a better “understanding of the past experienced both individually and collectively” (Bornat 2). Bornat also explains in her essay that oral history relays the events of history with a better understanding of the social processes by culture, class and gender.
Our memories are important to us as they stay with us for as long as we live. Be they haunting memories, good memories or sad memories, they always have an impact on the human mind. The memories live with us. Sometimes one cannot rid of these memories until they are relayed to others. When recording oral history, memories play a significant role as the details observed and remembered by each individual are different. Every individual chooses to remember what is significant to him and all these memories together help record the events and details that otherwise go unnoticed. For example, the events of the 1947 India, Pakistan partition narrated by individual are different as they narrate only the part which has left an impact on their minds therefore one gets an insight into the minds of individuals and communities of a society. Undoubtedly it is challenging to accurately transfer memories into something tangible. When it comes to recollection oral history can vary but it becomes almost accurate if the documentation is personally more important or significant to the narrator. Therefore it is an important medium of documentation of history and memories.
It helps in interpreting the society and its thoughts about different situations of the past by drawing out their memories. Joanna Bornat quotes Robert Miller in her essay about oral history that it gives an understanding of the individual’s conscious and subconscious which composes a story that pleases the teller. It can be deduced from the readings that reminiscing the past is an essential part of recording oral history which relies on memories. Memories surround us and reminiscing is an everyday activity for an individual but when encouraged at a group level, it can bring about a change. It can be undoubtedly stated that individuals are willingly express themselves while narrating because it is like a life review which gives them a new and better self-understanding. Bornat’s understanding that language, meaning and memory interacts and mediate the structural determinants of society today and in the past is quite logical. Through the combined memories of these individuals much can be deduced of the lifestyle and societal structure of their pasts and how it has come about to be what it is in the present.
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