Oral History in Conflict: Archives and Knowledge Production around Iraq from 2004 to 2012

Abstract

The following thesis examines the role of oral history collection and production during times of conflict. Employing the Iraq Memory Foundation’s Oral History Collection housed by the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University as its primary source material, this research problematizes knowledge production resultant from oral histories collected and curated in the context of colonial relationships. Far from apolitical collections of data, archives reflect power dynamics and political agendas by how they selectively collect their materials and offer access. As the first study of the Oral History Collection, this paper contributes to the broader literature surrounding oral history by addressing how and why oral history is collected in the midst of active conflict. The Hoover Institution Archive and the creation of the Oral History Collection serve as the focus of Chapter Two. Chapter Three is an analysis of the Collection. Finally, Chapter Four situates the Collection within the broader context of crisis oral history and proposes special consideration for projects focusing on conflict oral history.