„The ethical turn” in Polish oral history

Abstract

The authors draw attention to the need for an in-depth discussion about ethical issues in the oralist’s workshop which would, in the future, lead to the creation of a code of good practice, regulating the principles of conducting oral history interviews, their archiving, and subsequent use. In the social sciences in Poland, psychologists, especially psychotherapists, have similar codification, hence the comparison of their rules with the challenges of oralists. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Helsinki Declaration of the World Association of Physicians (WMA) and guidelines of the Council of International Medical Societies (CIOMS) as well as foreign associations of oral history practitioners can also be an example. Following the example of groups dealing with spoken history in Western Europe and in the United States, placing greater emphasis on the ethical context in research will certainly strengthen the paradigm of this young science field in Poland.

Keywords

• oral history
• vulnerability
• ethics
• narrative psychology
• narrative identity
• ethical codex
• good practices