He is an Italian scholar and practitioner of oral history, a writer and musicologist. Portelli retired as Professor of Anglo-American literature at the University of Rome La Sapienza. Portelli’s writings have shifted the focus of oral history from a narrow focus on
historical accuracy to the meaning of oral accounts and the nature of memory. His writings brought about a paradigm shift in the discipline. His 1991 book 'The Death of Luigi Trastulli' reflects on interpretations of conflicting accounts of an event. His 1999 book 'The Order Has Been Carried Out' was awarded the Oral History Association award and the Viareggio Prize and his latest book 'They Say in Harlan County' (2010) won the W.D. Weatherford award of the Applachian Studies Association. In 1972 Portelli founded the Circolo Gianni Bosio, an activist collective dedicated to studying folklore, oral history, and people's culture.