Shared Authority as Part of the Research Process
Oral History of Factory Homers
Abstract
This article examines shared authority in oral history interviews and research. The article focuses on the case study of the oral history of factory “homers” in Finland. A “homer” is an object made for one’s own benefit by a worker using a factory’s equipment and materials. The conducting of oral history interviews and its analysis are combined in the case study.
The article describes the conducting of oral histories concerning a controversial topic – how interviews’ intersubjectivity affects oral history sources, and how the interviewee affects the interviewer-researcher. The main argument is that the shared authority in oral history interviews and the interplay of interviewer and interviewee both affect the researcher, the research process, and the themes.
For example, the articles shows how a conflict in a group discussion became a turning point for the research, influencing the research’s questions and framework. The interviewee’s initiative led the researcher to truly reflect on the sensitivity of the research topic. The escalation of the discussion by challenging the researcher-interviewer showed how the research material of oral history was constructed together, especially through disputes and conflicts. In the wider context, the research process reflects the original objectives of oral history research to democratise history research.
Keywords: oral history research; interview; methodology; factory workers
