Storia orale e storia ambientale

The questions in the field of environmental history to which oral sources can respond are manifold. Oral sources can help us to understand man\u2019s perceptions of the environment in which he or she lives and works and the effects on nature of economic activities and political choices. Moreover, they can reveal the different perspectives from which many environmental disputes originate. For example, oral history can enquire into how transformations in a given environment have been perceived and experienced, how they have affected the lifestyles of those living in it, to what degree the local population is aware of the risks involved in living in a certain locality, how prepared the people responsible for land management are to deal with emergencies, in which ways land use has changed in recent decades and why, and lastly, how strong environmental awareness and participation in or \u2018sympathy\u2019 for environmental movements is in various communities. This essay deals with a number of significant environmental history studies which are based on a series of interviews and have pointed the way for other similar research experiences. In the age of \u2018digital humanities\u2019, oral history plays an increasingly important role. It is stories told in the first person, scholars\u2019 privilege and opportunity to directly question their witnesses that make oral sources particularly significant in some fields of study. At the same time, as in many of the projects presented here, modern technologies have transformed the way in which these sources can be stored and \u2018given back\u2019 to the public. Oral History and Environmental History are undoubtedly two disciplines in fertile dialogue