Collect of these archives was launched in 1981. Thes archives of oral history are composed of interviews of ambassadors and ancient foreign minister. Archivists who have led interviews, invited them to talk about important moments of these career. Interviews were led by direction of Archives with collaboration of a spectialist of international relationships. These recordings are relatives of foreign relationships during the Cold War, or relationshiops between France and countries which were ancient colonies of France. Recordings are conserved in the service but Direction of archives isn't the proprietor, it is the agent. Communication is possible with autorisation of interwiewed person or her beneficiaries.Some recordings are liberrally transmissible in the Service of Archives of department.
You can visit the official website, to consult the list of these recordings in free access:
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/les-ministres-et-le-ministere/archives-et-patrimoine/fonds-et-collections/entrees-exceptionnelles-et/archives-orales/
Oral archives
mardi 11 décembre 2012
jeudi 22 novembre 2012
"The History of Oral History"
In this video, Ronal J. Grele presents his book "Envelops of Sounds : The Art of Oral History". He is the former director of the Oral History Research Office. He also talks about some aspects. I have chosen the part about acurracy and interpretation (circa 1'03 to 3'04). I think it is a complement for our articles about procedures and limits.
"It does posed for us the transformation from the recorders. I describe this transformation as a transformation from a concern for data, to a concern with text. When I began Oral History, my concern was to recreate the past. To ask people about what happen in the past. To gather data about what actually happenned. And that was generally the attitude of most scientists into the interviews. It was a search for data and we were concerned with accuracy. We talk about memory. We talk about memory as an accuracy. How accurate was this memory? How could we test for the accuracy? How can we look at the interviews in such ways to understand how the interaction underminds the accuracy of memory, what promoted the accuracy of memory. If we are interested in interpretation, the interpretation rested with the interviewers' history. People will provide us with information and the interpretation will be ours. [...] the historians who collect the data and then interprate. There were couple of people who raised the question : maybe when people tell theirs histories they are already interpreting and maybe that's a first interpretation."
Flore-Hélène Fischer
vendredi 16 novembre 2012
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)
The USHMM is an
insitutional American museum which opened in 1993. It takes place in
Whashington D.C. 22 other museums about Holocaust exist around the United
States. USHMM is based on a Commission of President Jimmy Carter about
Holocaust in 1979. The Congres authorized creation of museum in 1980. This
museum welcome 30 million visitors including 9 million children since
opening of the museum. Permanent and temporary exhibitions are proposed to
visitors.
Permanent
exhibition is based on objects, videos, photos. This exhibition draws chronologically
history of Holocaust since its origins. More 900 objects, 70 video monitors and
4 cinema rooms narrate this story. Interviews bring additional information
about Holocaust and the Final Solution. This exhibition interest not only
persecution by the Nazi system but also persecution of the Jews in other
countries throughout the ages. In example, USHMM interests on pogroms in the
East of Europe, or Dreyfus affair in France. The fourth floor focuses on period
before the Second World War between 1933 and 1940. The thirst floor interests
on the Second World War giving rise to the Final Solution, concentration and
extermination camps. The second floor valorises Jewish resistance against Nazi
system, liberation of extermination and concentration camp, and period after
the War.
The tower of faces is a
part of museum composed of three floors. On this tower, 1300 photos of Jewish families
are put up. These photos evocate everyday life of a Lithuanian village.
Population of this village was Jewish in a very great majority before the War.
All of inhabitants were killed by the Nazis during the War in 1941.
Tower of faces
When visitor enter in
room of permanent exhibition, he receive an identification card which explains
the story of a victim of Holocaust or a surviving of concentration and
extermination camp.
A specific room for
children has created to explain Holocaust with simple words and shocking images
for children. A specific exhibition has designed for children, and is centred
of a romance of a Jewish children, Daniel. This exhibition is untitled “ Remember
the children: Daniel’s story”. The story is based on collection of true stories
of children who lived Holocaust.
Hall of remembrance is a
room in memory of victims and surviving people of Holocaust. It is a place for
public celebrations. You can find eternal flame which symbolizes eternity of
memory, we mustn’t forget Holocaust.
Temporary exhibitions enable
to study a specific thematic as anti-Semitism, Nazi propaganda. USHMM propose
touring exhibitions as the Olympic Games of Berlin in 1936, the persecution of Gays.
Museum works with
different centres of Search and international cooperation. The Center for Advanced Holocaust studies was
created in 1998 and published a revue untitled Holocaust and Genocide Studies edited by Oxford University
Press. A groop of international
cooperation enable to share experiences, archives about Holocaust around the
world. This groop is formed by government and nongovernmental associations.
This group comprises 26 member countries as the USA, France, United Kingdom,
Germany and Austria.
If you want to have more information about this museum, you can visit official website of USHMM:
www.ushmm.org
Gwendoline CLAY.
Gwendoline CLAY.
jeudi 15 novembre 2012
An exemple of archives of oral history exploited by cinema : Shoah
Shoah is a movie
directed by Claude Lanzmann. It is a documentary movie based on testimonies of
rescaped people of concentration camp. It released in 1985 and commmercialized
around the World as the United States, United Kingdom. The movie lasts 613 minutes
in french version.
Claude
Lanzmann is a journalist, a film director born in 1925. When he was 18, he
engaged in French Resistance during the Second World War. He was the
partner of Simone de Beauvoir between 1952 and 1959. He has jews origins and is an
intellectual engaged in politic. He was anticolonialist and he was one of inculped
because he had signed “manifest of 121” which denounced repression on Algerian people
exerced by the French. He was engaged in Israelite cause and he devoted a lot
of time to find Nazi responsibles to judge them. He campaigns for the memory of
Shoah to not forget this horror.
Between 1975 and 1981,
he shot interviews of rescaped person of concentration camp. Interview was
sometimes obtained by ruse .Interviews represent more 220 hours of recordings.
The final editing lasts 9hours and 30 minutes and it is composed by interviews
and image of extermination and concentration camp. Unlikely Night and Fog (1956), Shoah doesn’t really show horror of
concentration and extermination camps and lets speak of rescaped people who have
to be quiet during several years after the World War II. In the1970’s,
studies about history of the World War II evolved and historians wanted to narrate
horror of this War in particular, the Final Solution decided by Nazi system in
1942. Shoah released in 1985 and moved deeply the contemporary society. All of
recordings are conserved in USHMM (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington DC). Archivists of this museum are responsible to classify, to treat
and conserve these recordings. They realized a
movie with interviews exploited by Claude Lanzmann for his movie.
This movie is untitled Shoah: The Unseen interview and released
in 2011. Claude Lanzmann has proposed also three other movies based on rest of
interviews. These movies were released in 1997,2001 and 2010.
A DVD for scholar group
was edited and proposes sequences of 30 minutes of the movie Shoah.
Texts of interviews were published in a book and prefaced by a Simone de Beauvoir's text.
A lot of books
about the movie or written by witnesses were published. Principal witnesses are notably, Jan Karsky, witness
of gettho of Warsaw, Ruth Elias, surviving woman of Extermination camp of
Auschwitz, but also ancient nazi responsibles were interviewed as Dr Frantz Goesler, assistant of Heinz
Auerswald, or Joseph Obernhauser , a nazi officer of Belzec camp.
This video is a trailer on Shoah realized for the 25th Anniversary of movie.
Gwendoline CLAY.
Gwendoline CLAY.
An example of archives of oral history in South African
Transcription of video: "The African oral history archive started to three years ago. It started with the project to collect the real stories of the real players what does it means the most important period of history of South Africa. ... very exciting project because it is not only about South African,it's about for the rest of African continent.And all of generations africants students have to know where they go, to understand where they come from. Unfortunately, History involuntarily talks about only victories, the future generations don't have to forget opportunity of both side of history. The African oral history archive ... living testimony from people, involving, creating stories. the future genrations can make up their minds, they can compare views of point, they can get inside human being, they create, involve in reality and to come on all understand their real story. The African oral history archives ... several hours of real stories, stories normally which have not been told. Visually, now to expend these archives, to make living their archives,archives that they'd live forever."
Gwendoline CLAY.
vendredi 2 novembre 2012
A reflection about limits
The true essence of archives of oral history can bring up several questions. Above all the authenticity and reliability. For the majority of people, when they deal with paper archives or registers, especially old ones, there is no way to have doubt about their authenticity. Questions are not asked. They accept the information from those archives.
Despite of rigorous procedures, a deep question remains about the "medium" : human memory. The archivists count on it. Human memory is not infallible especially whent the events took place a long time ago. The archivists have to deal with memory blanks and sometimes psychologic traumas due to wars for example. So, blanks can be voluntaries. The archivists cannot directly check the memory. As a consequence, they have to find other witnesses but it is often difficult.
As provoked archives, the questions remain but in that case, history manages without very interesting and lively sources. When those archives are known and recognized, there is the question of their status. Are they auxiliary or complement ? In my opinion those archives and paper archives complement each other. Archives of oral history open new horizons and perspectives for history and people who are interested in those sources.
Author : Flore-Hélène Fischer
Author : Flore-Hélène Fischer
mercredi 31 octobre 2012
A safeguard : the example of the UPCP in France
The UPCP (Union pour la culture populaire) is an organization which regroups many unions. Their aim is to protect a local and regional heritage like music, dance, language, etc... Those archives (orals or written) are preserved under the protection of the CERDO (Centre d'étude, de recherche et de documentation sur l'oralité). In France, the CERDO is a good example of oral archives and their management.
The archives collected by the UPCP are called " unreleased oral archives ". The UPCP recognizes that the definition could be woolly so a list was established :
- radio programmes with a media purpose.
- ethnologic, sociological and linguistic investigations : songs, musics, tales, lifetime stories which were recorded and collected for scientist documentation and/or for the wish to preserve an heritage.
- historical investigation : political speeches and debates.
- artistic creations which were recorded like concerts and plays.
Those archives are unique and precious. This is a way to preserve a part of our heritage, even if we are not from the region. A know-how can enrich that we can call an oral heritage. It is about orality and exchange.
This safeguard raises also the question of medium. Archivists can use different media for oral archives : cylinders, records with a gramophone, magnetic bands and minidisc. The recording is analogical (cylinder and records) or digital (minidisc) or both (magnetic band). This point leads to another one : digitalization and data migration. Digitalization becomes necessary and inevitable for the safeguard. What we can listen today (a melody, a song or a speech) has to be preserved for the future. It is an heritage and a legacy from our society, our past, from people who shared their knowledge about a part of our culture. So the UPCP part is very important. It is always about choices : preserving or throwing away. But the stakes are real in a society influenced by what comes next, not what was before. So those archives have to follow progress. Oblivion is like sword of Damocles for them. Archivists and unions have to work hand in hand for the sake of this oral culture.
Of course, future hasn't to be denied. Technological progress involves a preparation for archivists and unions.
Flore-Hélène Fischer
The archives collected by the UPCP are called " unreleased oral archives ". The UPCP recognizes that the definition could be woolly so a list was established :
- radio programmes with a media purpose.
- ethnologic, sociological and linguistic investigations : songs, musics, tales, lifetime stories which were recorded and collected for scientist documentation and/or for the wish to preserve an heritage.
- historical investigation : political speeches and debates.
- artistic creations which were recorded like concerts and plays.
Those archives are unique and precious. This is a way to preserve a part of our heritage, even if we are not from the region. A know-how can enrich that we can call an oral heritage. It is about orality and exchange.
This safeguard raises also the question of medium. Archivists can use different media for oral archives : cylinders, records with a gramophone, magnetic bands and minidisc. The recording is analogical (cylinder and records) or digital (minidisc) or both (magnetic band). This point leads to another one : digitalization and data migration. Digitalization becomes necessary and inevitable for the safeguard. What we can listen today (a melody, a song or a speech) has to be preserved for the future. It is an heritage and a legacy from our society, our past, from people who shared their knowledge about a part of our culture. So the UPCP part is very important. It is always about choices : preserving or throwing away. But the stakes are real in a society influenced by what comes next, not what was before. So those archives have to follow progress. Oblivion is like sword of Damocles for them. Archivists and unions have to work hand in hand for the sake of this oral culture.
Of course, future hasn't to be denied. Technological progress involves a preparation for archivists and unions.
Flore-Hélène Fischer
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