Abstract

VELAZQUEZ, Graciela. Absent and Present Voices: Testimony and Representation in Oral History. Hist. graf [online]. 2016, n.46, pp.211-232. ISSN 1405-0927.

This paper addresses multiple epistemic problems related to testimonial narrative construction in historiography. My aim is to reflect on the limitations and possibilities of the representation of historical events in this field, taking into account the various facets of this practice, from the witness making his or her statement to its incorporation and interpretation by the historian. In this discussion, I focus on three specific aspects: first, the witness’ ability to give testimony; second, the historian’s capacity to listen; and third, the possibility of constructing and representing a given testimony in the historian’s narrative. Every thought conveys a particular perspective. To that end, this text is framed primarily within a constructivist epistemology as proposed by Paul Watzlawick and Alfonso Mendiola - authors who promote a vision emphasizing the act of creation via communication and its consequences for individuals and relationships, in this case between the source and the historian.

Keywords : oral history; testimony; memory; construction; representation.

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