Oral History and Activism/ People's Movements - Importance and Challenges

Presentation at the 5th Annual Oral History Conference- Oral History Association of India (OHAI),

 Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai 1-2 March 2020

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Oral History holds a place of particular significance when it comes to activism and people's movements or mass (non - violent) resistance. 

Photo: Champaben Tadvi by Nandini Oza

To begin with, it is important to understand what activism means.

Activism consists of efforts to promote, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with a desire to make changes in society. (Wikipedia)

Activism is direct and noticeable action to achieve result usually a political or social one. (Cambridge Dictionary)

What is significant is that people carry out mass struggles in order to achieve social, political, economic, environmental equity and justice. 

Narmada Bachao Andolan Program at Hapeshwar. Photo Credit: Shripad Dharmadhikary.

It is also important to understand how history as a discipline is understood by activists and those who are part of people's movements. While History is study/record of the past events, activist and people's movements see history as: 

“Usually written by victors”

This is best explained by a well known Novelist from Africa, Chinua Achebe:

"Until the lions have their own histories, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."  

A popular saying in Africa helps understand it better: 

"Until the history of Africa is told by Africans, the story of greatness will always glorify the imperialists."

Oral History Recording at Village Koliyari. Photo Credit: Shripad Dharmadhikary.

This is precisely when oral history gains significance when it comes to activism and people's movements. To understand oral history as a discipline better, Cambridge Dictionary explains it as: 

"Information about a historical event or period that is told by people who have experienced it.”

 Thus, oral history is an important medium in activism/movements as it helps study and record the history of the struggles of the marginalized, exploited and/ or the silenced in the voices of the people who have been a part of the struggle themselves. And as discussed in the book, 'Say It Forward-A Guide to Social Justice Story Telling by Cliff Mayotte and Claire Kaifer',  oral history: 

" harnesses the power of personal narrative to expose larger issues of inequality.”

What is important is that oral history also challenges the mainstream history of a nation/state or the history of dominant forces and or the history by those in power by people struggling for justice and equity. To explain this better, take the example of the Tata Central Archive located in Pune, India which displays prominently in the archive and its website information on the various Tata companies and Tata luminaries with digital and print documents, photographs, the awards and medals received by Tata luminaries, audio and Video recordings of speeches of people related to Tata companies and its founding members.  For details see:

http://www.tatacentralarchives.com/ 

On the other hand it would be difficult to find information in as much detail of the many struggles against the Tata companies and projects by workers, tribals, farmers and other natural resources based communities, not only in the Tata archives but anywhere else too. This information concerning many straggles against the Tata companies will have to be dug out from different sources. It would be important to take note of some of the very important struggles against the Tatas here:

 The first anti dam struggle in India and possibly in the world was in the early 1920s against the Mulshi dam built by the Tatas near Pune. Several affected people who resisted the dam were beaten and jailed, including women. Freedom fighter Senapati Bapat one of the leaders of the anti dam movement was also jailed for several years. It was in face of severe repression and massive displacement that the Mulshi dam was completed by the Tatas in midst of powerful people's resistance. Although not an oral history, an excellent history of the struggle has been fortunately well documented in a book by Rajendra Vohra titled "Mulshi Satyagraha" in Marathi and translated into English:

https://www.amazon.in/Worlds-First-Anti-Dam-Movement-Satyagraha-ebook/dp/B07DNZK61R: 

Then there was the powerful struggle of workers in the Tata Company at Jamshedpur in the early 1920s where 13 workers were killed in the police firing. For more details about this struggle see: 

https://nandinikoza.blogspot.com/search?q=Jamshedpur

Then the struggle by the tribals at Kalinga Nagar in Orissa against the the acquisition of  their lands, forests, villages and homes for a Tata company in which 14 tribals were killed in police firing which included three women. For more details see: 

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/urbanisation/tribals-observe-13th-anniversary-of-kalinga-nagar-firing-62658

The list of struggles against the Tatas is long- be it at Gopalpur or at the Nano car factory in Singur, West Bengal where natural resources dependent communities have been forcefully displaced in the name of development considered necessary and for national interest. While displacement due to natural disaster, industrial disasters, political persecution like at the time of partition, etc  is considered unjust and painful, the displacement of tribals and farmers for such "developmental" projects is considered in national interest and sacrifice of the already marginalised expected. Any opposition by the victims of development is considered anti- development and even anti-national.

Similarly, the dominant discourse that dams are temples of modern India continue to find place of significance in archival records, particularly official/government records and dams continue to be built displacing large numbers of people, at heavy cost of environment even today. But it is difficult to find, particularly in the official records the details of the many people's movements against large dams right from the time of Mulshi satyagraha to the silent valley struggle or the struggle against the Tehri and the Narmada dams that have challenged the notion of dams as temples of modern India.    

This is true when it comes to struggles around social and economic issues too. It is in such situations that oral history gains significance in recording the voices of people active in struggles for social - economic equity and justice.  The significance of oral history when it comes to the voices of the people is explained well by eminent scholars:

* Dr. Mridul Hazarika, Vice Chancellor, Guwahati University:

“Oral history will take a central position in history in the days to come. Oral history recognizes the role of those people who appear to be least significant”.(3rd OHAI Annual Conference, Gauhati)

*Oral historian Allessandro Portelli says:

“Oral history gains significance with the increasing mistrust of the official history. Oral history is the history of the marginalised. Oral history is respectful of people’s ability to speak, it respects the freedom of expression, it is proud of people’s heritage and recognizes the ability of people to be authors and creators” (3rd OHAI Annual Conference, Gauhati)

That a different type of storytelling is required while documenting people's movement is best explained by Professor Shiv Vishwanathan when he talks of the struggle in the Narmada valley: 

“To me, the most important historical event of the last two decades has been the battle over the Narmada dam... The battle over the Narmada dam reflects a journey, a pilgrimage, and a recollection of 30 years of resistance...it demands a different kind of storytelling.”  (The Hindu 9 March 2016)

Thus, Oral History when combined with activism is the study and record of history of the resistance of the Dalits, Tribals, Women, Workers, Natural resources dependent communities (environmental activism), Minority communities (social activism), etc as told by those who have been part of these struggles for social – economic- political change and justice. And it is increasingly becoming necessary to record the oral histories of people’s struggles as there is a growing interest in movements because:

Movements have helped bring social, political, economic, environmental equity and justice.

Movements have helped bring changes in policies and laws, for example laws like Right to Information Act, the Forest Rights Act, the POSH Act, etc are a result of people’s movements.

Movements have helped bring changes in institutions for regulation and governance. For example the setting up of the inspection panel by the World Bank to examine the projects it is funding, the environment impact assessment and public hearings for developmental projects, etc is an outcome of people's resistance.

Movements have helped bring changes in development discourse in the context of nation, national interest, and has pushed for sustainable development.

As a result of growing interest in oral histories and people's movements, there has been wide range of such publications. To note a few: 

* We Were Making History: Life Stories of Women in Telengana Struggle by K Lalita and Vasantha Kannabiran. 
*One Hundred Years, One Hundred Voices: the Mill Workers of  Girangaon an Oral History, by Meena Menon and Neera Adarkar
*We also Made History: Women in the Ambedkarite Movement, edited by Urmila Pawar and Meenakshi Moon.    
* Ladha Narmadecha: The Oral History of the Narmada Bachao Andolan in conversation with Tribal Leaders of the Movement by Nandini Oza.
* Oral History and the History of the Civil Rights Movement by Organisation of American Historians.

And now, with improvement in recording equipment, internet connectivity, etc we have websites based on oral histories of people’s struggles. Few examples:

*Civil Rights History Project: “Oral history collections with relevance
to the Civil Rights Movement to obtain equal rights and justice for
African Americans":

https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/about-this-collection/

*Tibetan Oral History: “Accounts...to compare and contrast the Chinese
government’s official version of Tibetan history”:

https://www.tibetoralhistory.org/mission.php

* Oral History of Narmada Struggle: “People’s histories of the
mass resistance against the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) on the River
Narmada in Western India in the form of oral histories of the people
who have been directly involved in the movement.”

https://oralhistorynarmada.in/

It would also be important to sum up with some of the plus points and the challenges oral history and activism face. The plus points:

*There is a better acceptance of Oral History as a discipline today. 

*Oral history creates important primary sources.

*Increasing interest in people’s movements and activism around social, environmental, economic, political rights and justice.

*Availability of better equipment and resources.

Challenges:

Training: there are still not well designed courses and material available in learning oral history in the Indian context particularly when it comes to people’s movements. Therefore there is dependence on self learning through material available in western context.

Resources: there is a constraint in availability of resources as people’s movements may not have creating such an archive as its priority among many other pressing priorities. Besides, such archives challenge the dominant forces and there is less chance of these forces although resourceful, funding it. And even if they would be willing to support, ideologically, activists and movements may not be willing to accept it.

Languages: oral history of people’s struggles would be in multiple languages and also in languages that do not have a written script. Transcription, translation, etc for wider dissemination is a difficult, time and resource consuming task.  

Acceptance: oral archive created by activists and people’s movements while create important primary sources and oral histories, could still have issues of acceptability.  

Dissemination: While dissemination is a challenge when it comes to oral history in general, when it comes to people’s resistance and oral histories, there is an added challenge as conventional or main stream media, main-stream or official history, journals, etc may not provide the necessary space and importance.

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