Chicago visual artist oral history archive, collected by linda l. Oral history as distinct from indepth interview what is oral history. Edited by three leading oral history experts, this book provides a comprehensive look back at the art of developing oral histories, with interviews on various related topics. What are the advantages and disadvantage of using oral source. The interviewer is interested in a reconstruction of the experience and what happened. This guide brings together information on oral history methodology as well as a list of select oral history collections and resources at duke. Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. Interviewing a group of people can create a picture of that experience, and a large project of this kind such as uncs southern oral history project can be a way of preserving a piece of history.
Given that oral history is a technique and a way of constructing histories the course tries to offer an overview of different ways of how to construct the information and how to analyze it in a wider methodological context. In his book doing oral history, donald ritchie wrote that oral history has. Not specifically oral history methodology, but a good, solid introduction to qualitative interviewing techniques, including an excellent analysis of a transcript and the choices the interviewer makes. An oral history interview is not about the interviewer. This essay collection explores the photographic turn in oral history. The oral history centre ohc was established in 1979. Chapter two opens with an inclusive definition of oral history and ends with a ten step guide on how to best conduct oral history in a community p. Mar 23, 2020 the oral history manual is designed to help anyone interested in doing oral history research to think like an oral historian. Oral history is regarded in academia as its own kind of source and in terms of how to best produce andor deal with this source, a couple of methods have been developed in the past. Russell, director santa barbara, california 931069010 805 8938215 oral history methodology, the art of interviewing oral history is as old as antiquity.
We learn the facts about any historical time by study and research. Almost every guide to this subject will first caution readers and users of. Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. Oral history is a particularly useful way to capture ordinary peoples lived experiences. Marc pachter has conducted live interviews with some of the most intriguing characters in recent american history as part of a remarkable series created for the smithsonians national portrait gallery. Oral historians insure that narrators voluntarily give their consent to be interviewed and understand that they can withdraw from the interview or refuse to answer a. For example, linked, an oral historybased public art installation in east.
The columbia center for oral history ccoh was founded by historian and journalist allan nevins in 1948 and is credited with launching the establishment of oral history archives internationally. Introduction to qualitative research softwares laszlo csirmaz week 3 25 january politics of oral history. Methodology our alumni oral history master of arts. She has been on faculty at nyu since 2009, teaching an array of classes on irish history and migration, oral history and comparative migration. Topical interviews are concerned with the facts and sequence of an event. Oral history methodology, the art of interviewing oral history is as old as antiquity. Practicing oral history in historical organizations book. Oral history research, oral history interviews, documentary research. This book is the first to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of oral. Sommer applies the best practices of contemporary oral historians to the projects that historical organizations of all sizes and sorts might develop. It is mandated to record, preserve and disseminate the history of singapore through oral history methodology. The art and method of qualitative interview studies new york.
Selected examples of oral history based texts 38 this comprehensive oral history bibliography was developed for the publics use by the columbia university center for oral history in 2009 by project coordinator elizabeth grefrath. He reveals the secret to a great interview and shares extraordinary stories of talking with steve martin, clare booth luce and more. At over 10,000 interviews, the oral history archives is one of the largest oral history. Its design is meant for book length oral histories. Interviewing guidelines ucla center oral history research. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st. The following tips about interviewing the central technique concerned with recording oral history interviews may serve as a helpful and concise summary. Principles and best practices oral history association. About oral history oral history research and resources. This booklet presents some guidelines smithsonian folklorists have developed over the years for collecting folklife and oral history from family and community members. What neighborhood or community did you live at first. Oral history 1st edition graham smith routledge book. This chapter and book argues that such an approach is appropriate and even essential to.
Advantages and disadvantages of oral tradition oral tradition can be defined as testimony transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to another. One of the first great collaborative efforts in oral history was the interviews with former african american slaves conducted in the 1930s by researchers working for the works progress administration wpa. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed. This chapter begins with an overview of the histories of oral history and its use within. Isabel bishop 19021988 was a painter in new york, new york. Oral history is a central methodology in her research and she has served as a collaborator for the archives of irish americas oral history collection since 2008. Oral history archives at columbia columbia university. Contributors ask how oral historians can best use photographs in their interviewing practice and how they can best understand photographs in their interpretation of oral histories. John laird, transcript of an oral history conducted 2001, in out in the redwoods. Here the information is obtained by talking and listening to people with historical information. Oral history is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool for anyone studying the history of the recent past.
A practical guide to oral history anthropology news. The focus should be on the interviewee, and he or she should do most of the talking, with occasional questions from the interviewer to guide the interview in the most productive directions. For example, if the evidence is to be used in court, a more strict method of data gathering and storage may be required. Oral history off the record is an honest and insightful appraisal of how we go about our craft from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Make sure that you get the person you interviewed to sign a written release and that you comply with any restrictions that he or she requests. The questions of the interviewer, deriving from a particular frame of reference or historical interest, elicit certain responses from the narrator, deriving from that persons frame of reference, that persons sense of what is. Essays about the process of interviewing, ways of interpreting oral histories, and oral historys status as a mode of historical understanding. Prior to the publication of envelopes of sound oral history was regarded as an archival practice and interviews were considered the repositories of data. Gathered here are parts i and ii of the handbook of oral history, which set the benchmark for knowledge of the field. The presentation of the interviews in this book and on the. What improvements in your method do the interview results suggest. Over 200 oral histories and interviews of predominantly chicagobased artists and designers drawn from three collections. Edited by philippe denis and radikobo ntsimane, ukzn press, 2008. Significantly, and uniquely, in the interview oral historians speak to their.
The oral history reader, now in its third edition, is a comprehensive, international anthology combining major, classic articles with cuttingedge pieces on the theory, method and use of oral history. Oral history training for the classroom slideshare. They represent quality research and preparation, applied interviewing techniques, and the highest standards of ethical oral history. It is not always easy to decide what should be treated as a part of interviewing as such. Professional oral historians often have advanced degrees in history, but you can still do good oral history without special training.
Oral history off the record palgrave studies in oral history. Oral historians inform narrators about the nature and purpose of oral history interviewing in general and of their interview specifically. An oral history of the great depression by studs terkel call. This is done through the interviewing of individuals who have served prominently as leaders and innovators in their field of work. Department of oral history university of south carolina.
Centre for urban history university of leicester leicester le1 7rh phone. Preface this oral history is based on a series of about 25 hours of interview sessions with representative helen sommers on her 36year career representing the 36th legislative district in seattle from 19732009. When we interview one person, we gain knowledge of an individuals experiences, which may or may not be typical of his or her time and culture. Historical research, as a research methodology, is supported by oral history research method, which is a valuable tool for researchers in the nursing field. In other words, it is a collaborative process of narrative building. Its design is meant for book length oral histories, but it can easily be adapted for use in anything from a. A release usually includes the interviewees name and signature, the interviewers name, the date, a statement of permission to use the interview, the name of the person or institution receiving the permission, and the purposes to which. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. One editing technique, that we like to call the mobius strip approach, is when. Herodotus, if you recall, set down many of his stories from accounts he heard on his travels. In the front of this book was a written instruction disposing of the book after his death. The oral history interviewing approaches of the team will be discussed, and examples of style of interview and nature of testimony will be provided in order to illuminate the difficulties and issues involved in breaking down the very complex and multilayered nature of the data into coding. History project hereinafter vhp of the library of congress american folklife center.
Oral history research and resources this guide provides resources on doing oral history research, locating oral histories in the ucsc library and other libraries and institutions on the central coast of california and beyond, and oral history as a field. The contributors share their anxieties, their struggles, their vulnerabilities, and their successes. Oral history is a method for obtaining evidence by interviewing people about their experiences. How do i archive conduct an oral information sheet history. Remember that for an oral history, the person whom you are interviewing must have lived through that event or time period and must be able to recall details and other memories. Oral history is a method of conducting historical research through recorded interviews between a narrator with personal experience of historically significant events and a wellinformed interviewer, with the goal of adding to the historical record. The perfect answers to every interview question interview questions and answers, interviewing, resume, interview tips, motivational interviewing, job interview. Sep 14, 20 allison tracytaylor began her work in oral history in 2002 at the university of nevada oral history program unohp, eventually interviewing for a multiyear project on the history of womens athletics at the university of nevada. Perhaps the most important difference between oral history and traditional history is the personal nature of the former.
This interview is part of the archives of american art oral history program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the united states, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. Telling lives oral history curriculum guide 3 introduction in the spring of 2004 the columbia university oral history research office led a program to bring professional oral history training to eight 7th and 8th grade english language arts and social studies classrooms in two manhattan chinatown schools. In our latest installment of the series, cynthia brideson discusses hes got rhythm. Kramer and sandra binion between 2010 and 20, explores diverse aspects of the personal and professional lives of these chicago visual artists. Interviewing 52 heterosexual, married couples about the history of their relationships allowed the researchers to predict which couples would separate or stay together three years later with over 94% accuracy.
Family background what do you remember about your grandparents. Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history typically involves interviews with individuals who either tell their life stories or focus on a certain aspect of their history. Oral history for social change knows that history and narrative can be used to promote equity and empathy and challenge racism and oppression.
The rapid rise in the study of oral history has been evident across a wide range of academic and community settings. Patricia leavy has provided us such a text with her book, oral history. The eminent contributors discuss the history and methodologies of a field that once was the domain of history scholars who were responding to trends within the academy, but which has increasingly become democratized and widely used outside the realm of historical research. Sommers book ends with a glossary, appendices, and list of further readings on different aspects of oral history. Over the past decades, the development of digital audio and video recording technology has continued to alter the practice of oral history, making it even. Together they have interviewed hundreds of people and instructed hundreds more in the fine art of oral history. Oral tradition, or oral history as it is also called, is sometimes considered a primary source, although there is debate as to where it. Somewhat less common is the use of interview transcripts as a literary form. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations. Twentyseven new chapters introduce the most significant developments in oral history in the last decade to bring this invaluable text up to date, with new pieces on. Thus, without this trip to visit him and create an oral history, the book would have been lost for another generation, or maybe forever.
The department of oral history records the memories and descriptions of daily lives, communities, families, and notable events that shaped south carolina and continue to do so, and to make those stories freely available to a wide audience. In our oral history seminars and training workshops you can learn the art of listening and interviewing, and learn oral history methodology and interviewing techniques. Oral history qualitative research methods libguides at. Oral historians attempt to verify their findings, analyze them, and place them in an accurate historical context. Since publishing our book in 1996, the oral history genre has exploded. Much has been written on sound research interviewing technique but there has been less emphasis on the transformation and translation of the data. As a former civil rights organizer and founding executive director of picture the homeless and an ohma graduate i am working with a group of homeless leaders to develop the picture the homeless oral history project using participatory oral history methodology. Written by linda shopes, this guide presents an overview of oral history and ways historians use it, tips on questions to ask when reading or listening to oral history interviews, a sample. Mar 26, 2020 oral history is the main subject heading for books about oral history or collections of oral histories. Pdf one of the great advantages of oral history is that it allows scholars. A sociologist by training, leavy is a prolific author of a number of qualitative research methods texts including method meets art. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender history at uc santa cruz, 1965 2003, regional history project, uc santa cruz library, university of california, santa cruz, 2004, pp. Creating oral histories listening is an act of love. We also offer interactive classes, encouraging participants to create memoirs, films, exhibits, publications and artwork, based on personal stories.
Telling lives oral history curriculum guide 3 introduction in the spring of 2004 the columbia university oral history research office led a program to bring professional oral history training to eight 7th and 8th grade english language arts and social studies classrooms in. Historians use many types of evidence to figure out what happened in the past. Herodotus, if you recall, set down many of his stories from accounts he heard an his travels. If oral history has been growing as a research method for several decades now, it was only since the 1980s that it has gained repute and an established position in historical research. It is important to determine at the outset how oral history evidence will be used because different purposes require different interviewing procedures and storage methods. Essays about the process of interviewing, ways of interpreting oral histories, and oral history s status as a mode of historical understanding.
The basics of oral history for social change, and how to develop a communitybased oral history project. The life and career of gene kelly she cowrote with sara brideson. Through her edited interviews with these women, melissa walker provides firsthand descriptions of the influence of modernization on ordinary people struggling through the agricultural depression of the 1920s and 1930s and its aftermath. The oral history book is a oneonone interview with representative sommers. Jan 25 oneday oral history training workshops with ohma. A release usually includes the interviewees name and signature, the interviewers name, the date, a statement of permission to use the interview, the name of the person or institution receiving the permission, and the purposes to which the interview will be put.
From surgeons in england investigating the embodied memories of halfremembered techniques in no longer practiced operations, to truth and reconciliation projects in countries recovering from civil conflict, including in south africa, oral history is as diverse. Primary sources and other evidence including those from archaeology are used in the philosophy of history, the question of the nature, and the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised within the subfield of epistemology. Recognizing that oral history is a research methodology, the authors define oral history and then discuss the methodology in the context of the oral history life cycle the guiding steps that take a practitioner from idea through accessuse. Books and other textbased publications are still common oral history. There are many publications that outline the techniques and principles of oral history work. The oral history interviewing approaches of the team will be discussed, and examples of style of interview and nature of. In this brief, practical guide, internationally known oral historian barbara w. Many members of the national federation of the blind are interested in the history of our movement. The smithsonian folklife and oral history interviewing guide. Six rules for creating an oral history literary hub. Always ask permission to use the results of the interview in the ways you initially told your traditionbearer, such as to write a family history or do a school project.
During the passage of time, a lack of an objective method to assist the analysis of the data obtained through oral evidence interviews limits the researchers efforts. Oral history is not folklore, gossip, hearsay, or rumor. Historiography methodology of historiography britannica. Doing oral history is considered the premier guidebook to oral history, used by professional oral historians, public historians, archivists, and genealogists as a core text in college courses and throughout the public history community. Oral history interview with isabel bishop, 1959 may 29. Oral biography is a related term use the subject interviewing for materials about the technique and methodology of conducting interviews. Oral history sage research methods sage publications. Envelopes shows that the interview is a series of dialectical relationships embedded in language, social practice, and historical imagination. It features a general guide to conducting an interview, as well as a sample list of questions that may be adapted to your own needs and circumstances. Oral history is the systematic collection of living peoples testimony about their own experiences.
Research assistants kaley bell and jared rosenfeld generously assisted on this project. It has been half a century since the last book that addressed how historical societies can utilize oral history. For instance, you could check ives, the taperecorded interview, neuenschwander, oral history and the law, or sitton et al. Making sense of oral history offers a place for students and teachers to begin working with oral history as historical evidence. As we have already said, oral history is a special method of interview where the researcher and research participants spend extended time together engaged in a process of storytelling and listening. Interview design oral history methodologies and sources. This innovative book introduces the full array of oral history research methods and invites students and qualitative researchers to try them out in their own work. Pdf the art of the documentary meets oral history researchgate.
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