About Oral History
Oral history is the last and
greatest human discovery in the field of historical knowledge. Until now, most
people have had access to understanding and interpreting the history of human
societies or to the morgue's perception of events and their narratives from
witnesses to historical events or administrative and social documents and
reports produced for a non-historical purpose. But from the second half of the
twentieth century, modern historical knowledge experienced a new understanding
and interpretation of historical events that had
been neglected before; the oral
history.
In other words, alongside the former
sources, the third historical source of historical knowledge came to the aid
of
mankind to find his perspective more and more. Along with this new
epistemological horizon, radiance to dimensions beyond the realm of power and
politics also came to the fore. That is, if
until recent decades, the dominant aspect of historical knowledge has focused
on major political events, such as governments changes, revolutions, and wars,
the discovery of oral history has led to lesser-known areas of human collective
life. In a general definition of oral history, perhaps oral history can
be defined as "reporting the experiences and feelings of people who have
no name or address in history." Based on this,
the oral history of sports, which is based on the accepted principles and
methods of the history, is the report of all those whose names and fames will
not remain a history if we do not go to them.
In the oral history of sport, as in
other areas of community life, narrators provide a more accurate account of
their views and perspectives in the light of the knowledge and questions of the
interviewees, and add to the richness of historical knowledge of a land and
ultimately the world community. The oral
history of sports gives us a more accurate picture of the past when the oral
narrations of sports enthusiasts, including champions, referees, managers, and
fans, with the help of information contained in public files, statistical
information, photos, maps, letters, memoirs and other historical material be strengthened.
The oral history of Iranian sports
enables historical narrators to share their memories with their words, with
their voices and images, through their understanding of what happened today and
tomorrow for the next generations. Indeed, careful
attention to the preservation and recording of the voice and narrations of
sports narrators of oral history will enable us to leave a legacy for future
generations. Because today's and tomorrow's generations will inevitably judge
us based on their own experiences, oral history allows future generations to
think more realistically about the past.
In the oral history project of Iranian
Sports, programs were implemented with the above approach.