Despite the scarcity of documents and records, many Iranian families have a rich oral history. For this reason, interviewing relatives is an imperative first step in Iranian genealogy. The information learned from these interviews will be the basis of future research.
This page lists (1) types of genealogy-relevant information that oral history interviews should reveal, (2) links to guidance on how to conduct those interviews, and (3) links to existing Iranian oral history projects.
Oral History Information
Iranian genealogy oral history interviews should seek to gather four general types of information: family relationships, order of events, explanations of events, and stories. All of these can be invaluable clues in Iranian genealogy.
- Extended Family Relationships
A helpful first step is to ask the interviewee to map out their immediate and extended family. Iranians consider “relatives” to include distant relations, even relations by marriage. A given interviewee will likely know about many of their relatives. Knowing the “cast of characters,” and their connection to your family, will provide a contextual foundation as you do further research.
2. Order of Events
Ask the interviewee about the order of events in their life and their relatives’ lives. Also ask the approximate dates of the events, if possible, or how old the interviewee/another relevant person was when they occurred. These are reference points that can help you approximate the timing of events involving other people.
3. Explanations for Events
The most interesting details are the details behind the events in your family’s history. Ask why and how frequently.
4. Stories
Throughout your interview, the interviewee will likely tell stories. These are important to have, both from an oral history preservation perspective and a genealogical perspective. Stories provide context and humanize those before us. The story may contain details that will support, refute, or create a later theory.
Oral History Interview Guidance
See the General Resources and Interview Questions sections of Cyndi’s List’s Oral History page for guidance on how to conduct oral history interviews.
Iranian Oral History Projects
The link leads to the Yale MacMillan Center’s collection of several transcripts from interviews conducted by the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History. The full index of the 779 interviews conducted by the center can be found here.
Iranian Genealogy 