当下,口述史学以其在挖掘史料与再现社会底层声音方面的独特优势而迅速引得国际史学界的关注。它的出现与发展不仅在研究内容、方法与理论等方面为历史学注入了新的生机与变革动力,同时也引起了其他学科的广泛兴趣,在推动跨学科研究中起到了非常重要的作用。作为一门名副其实的面向大众的科学,其社会含义在一定程度上反映了当前史学研究的大众化趋势和发展动向,体现出一种重返人文的传统。但由于其自身的特性,学界对其既不乏褒扬,也不乏质疑。质疑的声音主要集中在口述史学的可信性、口述史学的版权问题、口述历史的学科归属及呈现形式等方面,而相关研究者也迫切需要广泛了解其他地区口述史学的研究状况。为了推动口述史学的健康、快速发展,也为了廓清学界有关口述史学的一些争论,本刊特邀了大陆及港澳台几位学有造诣的学者,分别从口述历史的基本特征、口述史学的社会性、香港口述历史的具体实践、澳门口述历史研究的回顾与思考、台湾口述历史的现状及展望等方面进行研究,期冀对口述史学研究有所裨益。 At present, oral history has quickly drawn the attention of the international historians with its unique advantages in excavating historical materials and reproducing the voices of the society. Its emergence and development have not only injected fresh vitality into the history, but also stimulated the interest of other disciplines in aspects of research contents, methods and theories, and played a very important role in promoting interdisciplinary research. As a veritable public-facing science, its social meaning reflects the popularization trend and development trend of current historical research to a certain extent, and reflects a tradition of returning to the humanities. However, due to its own characteristics, the academic community neither lauds nor criticizes it. The voices of questioning mainly focus on the credibility of oral history, the oral history of copyright issues, the oral history of the subject attribution and presentation, etc., and the researchers also urgently need to widely understand the oral history of other areas of research. In order to promote the healthy and rapid development of oral histories and also to clarify some controversy over oral history in academic circles, this journal invited several accomplished scholars from mainland China, Hong Kong, Maucao and Taiwan. From the basic characteristics of oral histories and oral history societies, Sex, Hong Kong oral history of the specific practice, review of oral history in Macao and reflection, Taiwan’s oral history of the status quo and prospects and other aspects of the hope of the oral history of the study of benefit.