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S. A. Rafikova
Oral-historical sources as a way of reviving History
Siberian State University of Science and Technology them. Academician M. F. Reshetnev, Kras-
noyarsk, Russian Federation
Abstract. The article is devoted to the disclosure of potential opportunities of oral histori-
cal sources in the study, reconstruction and understanding of the recent past, in the con-
text of the author’s concept of Living History, using the example of various research proj-
ects. The basis of the source database is a large-scale archive of folk memoirs and numer-
ous interviews (narrative, semi-formalized, in-depth, expert) collected by the author. The
article shows a wide range of methods of using these sources, from illustrative-quotation
ones to mathematical and informational ones. All this allows us to conclude that the role of
oral historical sources and methods plays an important role not only for expanding the re-
search base by appealing to the immediate bearers of historical memory, but also for an-
thropologizing, detailing, reviving History. Keywords: Living history, oral history, folk memoirs,
narratives, Siberia, urban population, reproductive behavior.