Orální historie – naslouchání, porozumění, hledání

This article brings a reflection about some contemporary problems of oral history. The author studies the present-day situation where, on one hand, oral history is becoming popular, as people do need stories; on the other hand, they are getting away from the “art” of telling life stories or from being willing to listen to them. The study thus addresses the issue of the hasty nature of this era, efforts to simplify it and the short-cuts in telling stories. The author also deals with some methodological topics which were not accentuated much in the past, in particular the issue of subjectivity, memory and their roles in the shaping of life stories and the issue of the social and political context (past and present) in which interviews were made. He subsequently reflects on the development of oral history in the Central European context and on influences by other disciplines. The text also deals with certain over-production of oral history at present. The author seeks an answer to several fundamental questions: Does oral history experience a real boom today, or is it just temporary fashion? Is everything that “looks like” oral history oral history in reality? Isn’t it just about accumulation of dozens of useless conversations without understanding this specific source? Does the present threaten oral history and oral historians? If yes, to what extent? What role is played by the political, social and economic situation of the narrators in constructing their own interviews