Oral history and requirements: translating theory into practice

Oral history practice is inextricably linked with ethical issues at various levels. This chapter aims to highlight specific challenges and dilemmas at institutional levels, and how theoretical requirements are put into practice in fieldwork, especially while working with vulnerable populations. As a rule, publicly funded research projects must apply for ethical approval since most institutions such as archives and museums are required to meet ethical requirements that protect participants and themselves when preserving and presenting oral accounts. The European Commission has introduced a code of conduct for ethical research within the programmes they finance, guidelines the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions ITN Children Born of War – Past Present Future (CHIBOW) adhered to. These were supplemented by World Health Organization standards and recommendations when the research on Children Born of War presented here was conducted due to the interdisciplinary nature of the network’s model and the fact that some individual projects included minors as study participants. The paper discusses the impact of those guidelines on research processes, in particular the challenges they posed researchers working in the humanities, especially history. The insights gained by the CHIBOW network should stimulate the ongoing discussion of this subject taking place in the field of Oral History and grow the body of relevant knowledge.