The contributions of oral history for historical humanization. Analysis of the social representations of teachers in Catalonia

Abstract

The article analyzes the social representations of the teachers of social sciences in Catalonia in relation to the contributions of oral history for teaching history education. The data obtained from 33 questionnaires and 12 in-depth interviews are analyzed. The contributions to the humanization of history are mainly highlighted, also indicate that it favors the competences of empathy and interpretation, and the use of historiographic procedures improves the motivation which would allow to acquire significant historical learning. Oral history should be considered a powerful and enriching educational strategy. It puts people at the center of historical knowledge and claims the role of ordinary people. It favors critical interpretation which is one of the fundamental skills of historical thinking. It allows to make history in the classroom since it requires the application of historical research methods. In other words, it can become a learning activity that could form a historical experience for the students.