Oral History Interviews [sound recordings]

Oral history interviews about the Partition of India. The interviews were recorded by the broadcaster Andrew Whitehead for the BBC World Service series 'India: A People Partitioned' (1997; 2000); BBC Radio 4 programme 'An Incident in Kashmir' (2003); and Whitehead's book, 'A Mission in Kashmir' (Vik...

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Date(s) of creation: 1995-2008
Level: Series
Format: Archive           
Main author: Whitehead; Andrew (fl 1974-2014); journalist and historian

Summary: Oral history interviews about the Partition of India. The interviews were recorded by the broadcaster Andrew Whitehead for the BBC World Service series 'India: A People Partitioned' (1997; 2000); BBC Radio 4 programme 'An Incident in Kashmir' (2003); and Whitehead's book, 'A Mission in Kashmir' (Viking Penguin, 2007). Interviewees include: political activists, survivors of violence; refugees; soliders; relief workers; and leading cultural and political figures. Subjects discussed include: Indian communist movement and the Left; political and communal violence; forced migration; the experiences of women; Kashmir and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947; India-Pakistan relations; and views on the role of politicians and political organisations during Partition.
Main author: Whitehead; Andrew (fl 1974-2014); journalist and historian
Extent: 205 sound recordings
Note: "In all cases, those interviewed knew that their words were likely to be in the public domain. There was no concealed recording and no concealed purpose. Some interviews were conducted on my behalf by colleagues, and I would like to acknowledge their kindness and professionalism. In all such cases, the name of the interviewer is included", Andrew Whitehead, 1998.
Arrangement: Oral history interviews arranged into eighteen sub-series reflecting the chronological order and geographical location in which interviews were recorded by Andrew Whitehead. An initial deposit of sixteen sub-series comprises: interviews about Partition and the Left; interviews in Pakistan; Delhi & Luknow; at the India-Pakistan border; Delhi & Mumbai; Karachi; Delhi; Indian-controlled Kashmir; Delhi; Punjab, India; Uttar Pradesh; Delhi; Pakistan; Bangladesh; Calcutta; and Delhi. There are two additional sub-series of interviews d ... View more
Access status: Open
Access conditions: MP3 audio files can be accessed on DVD-Rs in Special Collections Reading Room, SOAS Library. Users must bring their own headphones and computer to consult material.
Copyright: Copyright held by Andrew Whitehead
User restrictions: The recordings are available for consultation without restriction, and short extracts (up to 200 words) can be published with an appropriate acknowledgement. Any publication of longer extracts or use of interviews for broadcast requires the prior written permission of Andrew Whitehead.
Language: English
Hindi
Urdu
Bengali
Panjabi
Originals: MP3 audio datafiles digitised from original recording on cassette tapes.
Related material: Transcripts, partial transcripts and summaries of these interviews are available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA3/02/01
Format: Archive