oral history

American  

noun

1. information of historical or sociological importance obtained usually by tape-recorded interviews with persons whose experiences and memories are representative or whose lives have been of special significance.

2. a book, article, recording, or transcription of such information.

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oral history British  

noun

1. the memories of living people about events or social conditions which they experienced in their earlier lives taped and preserved as historical evidence

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Other Word Forms

• oral historian noun

Etymology

Origin of oral history

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Inside one of the oldest barbershops in Boyle Heights, Rodney Trammell gave an oral history of Brooklyn Avenue before it was renamed after civil rights leader Cesar E. Chavez.

From Los Angeles Times

In an interview with the Smithsonian oral history project, she talked about the challenge of being a woman in a union dominated by Chavez and other men.

From Los Angeles Times

An oral history of how Gyopo, the arts and culture organization in L.A., came to be.

From Los Angeles Times

“These bands were doing anthems, and they were talking directly to us,” says David Spero, a radio executive, in “Raised on Radio,” an oral history by Paul Rees.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I was getting slagged off by everyone, and that does make you question if you’ve still got it,” the star says in the book, “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run,” an oral history which expands on Neville’s documentary interviews.

From The Wall Street Journal