Analysis of Oral History Projects Conducted by Institutions and Organizations in Turkish

Oral history, which developed significantly since the second quarter of the 20th century, is used extensively in local and social history-related issues such as the history of cities, institutions, families, migration, and civil society. With the increase in oral history studies that record living memories, various institutions and organizations in countries such as the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia have started to support oral history projects. In Turkey, such projects started to gain popularity in the 1990s. The literature review yielded no study that collectively examines oral history projects conducted by Turkish institutions and organizations. Based on this gap in the relevant literature, this study aims to examine the oral history projects conducted by institutions and organizations (municipalities, universities, NGOs, etc.) in Turkey. The study employed the holistic multiple-case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Data sources (sample) include 81 oral history projects (1995-2021) determined by using the criterion sampling method. The projects included in the sample were evaluated by content analysis method, according to themes of the institutions or organizations that carried out the project, the years when the projects were conducted, their focus, their number of participants, and the products they offered. According to research findings, it was concluded that oral history projects conducted by the Turkish institutions and organizations were insufficient because there was a lack of quantity as well as the diversity of history fields on which these studies are based. In addition, it was found that municipalities conducted most of the projects and books were the main product of the projects.