The Ethics of Oral History in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to help oral history practitioners to reflect on the ethics of their discipline.1 By ethics of oral history one means the moral obligations a practitioner has in the conduct of an oral history project. The requirements of oral history are different from those of cognate disciplines such as psychology, anthropology or journalism. The paper argues that if the community of oral historians agrees to regulate itself, there might be grounds, just like in the United States, for exempting oral history from formal ethical review. Four broad principles should guide oral historians in the practice of their discipline: autonomy and respect for the dignity of persons; non-maleficence; beneficence; justice. In oral history, these principles primarily apply to the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee. Each stage of the interviewing process has specific ethical requirements.