ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the relationship between oral history and business history. It first considers the place of change and consistency in business history in relation to Schumpeter’s concept of ‘creative destruction’ and contends that oral history can deliver new insights into this field. It then maps out the historical relationship between the two fields, illustrating how business history played a pioneering role in developing oral history as a tool and a methodology. While business history and oral history historiography subsequently diverged, this chapter shows that they followed a somewhat similar trajectory. This chapter ultimately argues that oral history historiography and oral history use in business history have much to gain by paying closer attention to the developments being made in one another. Its most unique aspect is the historical overview of the intellectual development of oral history in business, which will be essential reading for any business historian looking to make use of oral history.
