Oral history and content analysis using Ethnograph

The oral testimony is a well-established tool for the historian of the recent past and there is a considerable body of literature on the techniques for collecting oral testimony, the pitfalls to be avoided, as well as the conceptual issues involved. There is, however, little to guide the researcher on the analysis of oral testimony and this paper presents a computer-based technique for analysing taped recollections. It uses one example to demonstrate how Ethnograph can assist in a more rapid, but nevertheless equally valid, analysis of oral testimony.