With the help of oral history interviews, men and women, people of cultural minorities, and indigenous peoples or socially marginalized groups can describe their personal experiences and impart their own interpretations of history. The interviews document the personal/human dimension of historical experiences that is often lacking in other sources.

Memories of the occupation of Greece and the crimes that have occurred remain very present in Greece’s memorial culture. However, confrontation with the German occupation was greatly influenced for a long time by political power relations and positions in the population. A commensurate confrontation with the occupation period was therefore not possible. The situation has changed since, and it has become possible and necessary to address a variety of questions from an academic perspective.

Contemporary witness interviews, as they are recorded in the oral history interviews, are an important basic element for this: They provide information about events of which documentation no longer exists. Furthermore, they help to answer the “why” and “how” of questions and to illuminate diverse experiences and perspectives. Interviews supplement other sources which simply provide facts, and are therefore recognized as an academic research method.