B8062 - Testimony, Orality, and the Politics of Language (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have a critical and in-depth knowledge of the tools and methods of analysis related to the study of testimonies as primary sources for the history of mentalities and territories. They will have a critical knowledge of the historiographical debate on Ego-documents, Oral History, Microhistory and the narrative dimension of historical research. They will have mastered methods for conducting, transcribing, and preserving oral interviews and for analyzing and comparing them with written testimony. They will have a critical knowledge of thematic approaches to the study of society and territory that can be realized through this specific type of source. They will know how to critically evaluate the contributions of anthropology, sociology, literary and linguistic analysis to the historical study of testimony, recognizing differences and similarities in the use of interviews. They will know how to work, also in groups, with interdisciplinary perspectives.

Course contents

Oral History Pathways
The course offers an introductory framework on the outlines, methodologies, precautions, and contradictions of oral history as an investigative tool for studying individual and collective memory: the construction, transcription, and use of oral sources. The general introductory framework will be complemented by a historical reconstruction of the discipline's evolution in Italy, from the 1960s-70s to the present, and an overview of examples of oral sources applied in various fields of contemporary historical research (History of Conflicts, Labor and Trade Union History, History of Feminism, History of Political Cultures and Social Movements).

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students, the exam will cover:
- A. Portelli, Alessandro, Storie orali: racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007
+ one text of choice from List A

For non-attending students, the exam will cover:
- A. Portelli, Alessandro, Storie orali: racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007
- Buone pratiche per la storia orale, a cura di A. Casellato, Editpress, Firenze, 2021
+ two texts of choice from List A

Alternatively, attending students of the course "Narratives, Orality, and the Politics of Language " may work on an unpublished interview (conducted and/or transcribed and indexed by themselves) and submit a 4,000-word research paper (max. 30,000 characters, including footnotes) – equivalent to 6 ECTS – on a topic pertaining to the following thematic area:

• Bologna's political movements between the 1970s and 1990s.

The selected topic, along with all relevant sources and bibliography, must receive prior approval from the course professor and will be discussed during the examination. Both the research paper and complete interview transcript must be submitted at least one week before the chosen examination date.

List A

A. Bravo, A.M. Bruzzone, In guerra senza armi, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1995
Le vittime italiane del nazionalsocialismo. Le memorie dei sopravvissuti tra testimonianza e ricerca storica, a cura di F. Focardi, Viella, Roma, 2021
A. Mignini, E. Pontieri, Qualcosa di meglio. Biografia partigiana di Otello Palmieri. Bologna, Pendragon, 2019
G. Gribaudi, La memoria i traumi la storia, Viella, Roma, 2020
A. Brazzoduro, Soldati senza causa: memorie della guerra d’Algeria, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012
M. Fincardi, C'era una volta il mondo nuovo. La metafora sovietica nello sviluppo emiliano, Roma, Carocci, 2007
A. Casellato. G. Zazzara, Renzo e i suoi compagni. Una microstoria sindacale del Veneto, Donzelli, 2022
A. Bravo, A colpi di cuore. Storie del Sessantotto, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008
L. Passerini, Autoritratto di gruppo, Firenze, Giunti, 2008 (ed. or. 1988)
F. Socrate, Sessantotto: due generazioni, Bari-Roma, Laterza, 2018
L. Passerini, Storie di donne e femministe, Rosenberg & Sellier, 2024 (ed.or. 1991)
G. Zitelli Conti, Magliana nuova: un cantiere politico nella periferia romana (1967-1985), Franco Angeli, Milano, 2019
Memorie che curano/Memorie da curare. Patrimoni culturali e deistituzionalizzazione psichiatrica a Torino, a cura di D. Adorni, D. Tabor, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2024
Testimonianze e testimoni nella storia del tempo presente, a cura di G. Gribaudi, Editpress, Firenze, 2020
E. Traverso, Passès singuliers. Le “Je” dans l’ecriture de l’historie, Montréal, Lux Editeurs, 2020 (ed. it La tirannide dell’Io. Scrivere il passato in prima persona, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2022

 

Teaching methods

Lectures and Critical Text Discussions

Assessment methods

A student will be considered attending if they participate in at least 75% of the lectures.
For both attending and non-attending students, the oral examination of the Integrated Course (12 ECTS) will consist of a discussion of the texts and verification of the topics covered during lectures.

A passing grade will be awarded if the student demonstrates the ability to develop a chronological and critical argument regarding the main phases of the discipline, presented with appropriate academic rigor.
An intermediate grade will be awarded to students who, in addition to solid chronological and critical preparation, demonstrate adequate competence in working with sources.
To achieve an excellent grade, the student must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in lectures and in the assigned texts, combined with expressive mastery and discipline-specific language.
Knowledge gaps and/or inappropriate language, even within a context of minimal understanding of the examination material, will result in grades not exceeding the passing threshold.

The evaluation of the research paper will depend on the originality and critical depth developed from the selected or conducted interview. The grade will take into account timely submission, the relevance of the chosen testimony to the course content, and the accuracy of the transcription. Additionally, it will assess the ability to identify appropriate contextual sources and bibliography, the quality of critical analysis, and the clarity of both structure and objectives. Linguistic competence will also be considered. Finally, active participation demonstrated during the course will contribute to the overall assessment.

The course "Narratives, Orality, and the Politics of Language"(6 ECTS) is part of the integrated course "Languages of Testimony and Historical Representations" (12 ECTS). If the student has enrolled in the integrated course (12 ECTS), the final grade will be the arithmetic average of the grades obtained in the two module exams, taken during the same exam session.
If the student has enrolled only in the single course "Narratives, Orality, and the Politics of Language"(6 ECTS), the final grade will be based solely on the evaluation of that module’s exam.

In both cases, there are 6 exam sessions scheduled throughout the academic year: May, June, September, November, January, and March.

Teaching tools

The course will employ PowerPoint presentations during lectures, occasionally supplemented with audiovisual materials and documentary sources.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Toni Rovatti