Oral history is a methodological approach to historical research that became increasingly popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Oral history does not rely on writing, images and materiality as sources, but on surveys and interviews with contemporary witnesses, i.e. on oral sources. These are intended to either supplement written accounts or introduce completely different perspectives and points of view that are more oriented towards the experiences of subjects. The focus is deliberately placed on the subjectivity of experiences, memories and emotions. Oral history is based on an old form of transmitting experiences and life stories through oral narratives. Oral history refers to both the method of oral questioning and its recording as well as the resulting source (cf. Apel, 2022).

One renowned oral history project consists of interviews and memories of 600 former forced laborers during the National Socialist era, while another project that was carried out in the early 2000s provides an insight into the experiences of 20 million forced labourers. These biographical interviews have been archived in digital archives and are accessible in several languages (Pagenstecher, 2016). Answers to the question of the reuse of oral history sources mark important cornerstones for methodological and archival discussions.

The increased reflection and importance of oral history is closely linked to movements in the history of knowledge such as that of history from below (Geschichte von unten), history of the common people or everyday history (Alltagsgeschichte), i.e. people who do not necessarily leave written accounts due to their living conditions. The memories of people affected by persecution, expulsion and flight also take up a lot of space in oral history. It is thus also closely concerned with cultures of remembrance and memorial work. There are also points of contact between oral history, biographical research and biographical interviews. Since it involves interviewing people who are still alive, oral history can only take place in the context of contemporary history and is closely linked to the discussion about contemporary witnesses.

Large and well-known oral history projects were also carried out by researchers studying the GDR, such as the study "The People's Own Experience. An Archaeology of Life in the Industrial Province of the GDR" („Die volkseigene Erfahrung. Eine Archäologie des Lebens in der Industrieprovinz der DDR“) by Lutz Niethammer, Alexander von Plato and Dorothee Wierling (1991). This study presents 30 biographical interviews that were conducted during the period of reunification and were intended to preserve people's memories of 40 years of life in the GDR. The study provides insights into private life in the GDR, contends the political nature of the private (von Plato, 1991) and addresses local political culture (Niethammer, 1991, p. 45).