Oral history methodology the art of interviewing book

Oral history off the record palgrave studies in oral history. 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. 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. In the front of this book was a written instruction disposing of the book after his death. 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.

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. They represent quality research and preparation, applied interviewing techniques, and the highest standards of ethical oral history. Mar 23, 2020 the oral history manual is designed to help anyone interested in doing oral history research to think like an oral historian. History project hereinafter vhp of the library of congress american folklife center.

Oral history off the record is an honest and insightful appraisal of how we go about our craft from a range of disciplinary perspectives. An oral history of the great depression by studs terkel call. Oral history research, oral history interviews, documentary research. Much has been written on sound research interviewing technique but there has been less emphasis on the transformation and translation of the data. Kramer and sandra binion between 2010 and 20, explores diverse aspects of the personal and professional lives of these chicago visual artists. For instance, you could check ives, the taperecorded interview, neuenschwander, oral history and the law, or sitton et al. Oral history 1st edition graham smith routledge book. 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. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. 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. 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.

It is not always easy to decide what should be treated as a part of interviewing as such. 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. Prior to the publication of envelopes of sound oral history was regarded as an archival practice and interviews were considered the repositories of data. Centre for urban history university of leicester leicester le1 7rh phone. 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. 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. 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. 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 for social change knows that history and narrative can be used to promote equity and empathy and challenge racism and oppression. Oral history interview with isabel bishop, 1959 may 29. Books and other textbased publications are still common 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. 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.

A practical guide to oral history anthropology news. For example, if the evidence is to be used in court, a more strict method of data gathering and storage may be required. 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. This chapter and book argues that such an approach is appropriate and even essential to. 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. Footnote citation for one interview in a multivolume oral history. The art and method of qualitative interview studies new york. Many members of the national federation of the blind are interested in the history of our movement. Sommers book ends with a glossary, appendices, and list of further readings on different aspects of oral history. Jan 25 oneday oral history training workshops with ohma. Essays about the process of interviewing, ways of interpreting oral histories, and oral historys status as a mode of historical understanding.

Historical research, as a research methodology, is supported by oral history research method, which is a valuable tool for researchers in the nursing field. He reveals the secret to a great interview and shares extraordinary stories of talking with steve martin, clare booth luce and more. The interviewer is interested in a reconstruction of the experience and what happened. Envelopes shows that the interview is a series of dialectical relationships embedded in language, social practice, and historical imagination. Pdf the art of the documentary meets oral history researchgate. Interview design oral history methodologies and sources. The oral history interviewing approaches of the team will be discussed, and examples of style of interview and nature of. 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. The presentation of the interviews in this book and on the. 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.

This chapter begins with an overview of the histories of oral history and its use within. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed. This essay collection explores the photographic turn in oral history. 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. 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. Preparing interview questions a students oral history interview will create a useful record of history if they prepare well and conduct an interview that covers firsthand information as much as possible. Oral history typically involves interviews with individuals who either tell their life stories or focus on a certain aspect of their history. 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. This booklet presents some guidelines smithsonian folklorists have developed over the years for collecting folklife and oral history from family and community members. Since publishing our book in 1996, the oral history genre has exploded. The following tips about interviewing the central technique concerned with recording oral history interviews may serve as a helpful and concise summary.

Advantages and disadvantages of oral tradition oral tradition can be defined as testimony transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to another. Introduction to qualitative research softwares laszlo csirmaz week 3 25 january politics of oral history. Family background what do you remember about your grandparents. It is mandated to record, preserve and disseminate the history of singapore through oral history methodology. In other words, it is a collaborative process of narrative building. Historiography methodology of historiography britannica. Research assistants kaley bell and jared rosenfeld generously assisted on this project. 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. Russell, director santa barbara, california 931069010 805 8938215 oral history methodology, the art of interviewing oral history is as old as antiquity.

What improvements in your method do the interview results suggest. 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. 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. Together they have interviewed hundreds of people and instructed hundreds more in the fine art of oral history. Patricia leavy has provided us such a text with her book, oral history. A sociologist by training, leavy is a prolific author of a number of qualitative research methods texts including method meets art. In our latest installment of the series, cynthia brideson discusses hes got rhythm. 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. Here the information is obtained by talking and listening to people with historical information. 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. 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.

Its design is meant for book length oral histories. Almost every guide to this subject will first caution readers and users of. Sommer applies the best practices of contemporary oral historians to the projects that historical organizations of all sizes and sorts might develop. What neighborhood or community did you live at first. Professional oral historians often have advanced degrees in history, but you can still do good oral history without special training. Thus, without this trip to visit him and create an oral history, the book would have been lost for another generation, or maybe forever. Creating oral histories listening is an act of love.

Edited by philippe denis and radikobo ntsimane, ukzn press, 2008. Oral biography is a related term use the subject interviewing for materials about the technique and methodology of conducting interviews. Herodotus, if you recall, set down many of his stories from accounts he heard on his travels. In this brief, practical guide, internationally known oral historian barbara w. 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. The contributors share their anxieties, their struggles, their vulnerabilities, and their successes. 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. The oral history centre ohc was established in 1979. Somewhat less common is the use of interview transcripts as a literary form. 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. Oral history archives at columbia columbia university. 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. The life and career of gene kelly she cowrote with sara brideson. Topical interviews are concerned with the facts and sequence of an event.

This is done through the interviewing of individuals who have served prominently as leaders and innovators in their field of work. Herodotus, if you recall, set down many of his stories from accounts he heard an his travels. Oral historians attempt to verify their findings, analyze them, and place them in an accurate historical context. Mar 26, 2020 oral history is the main subject heading for books about oral history or collections of oral histories. Department of oral history university of south carolina. 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. Essays about the process of interviewing, ways of interpreting oral histories, and oral history s status as a mode of historical understanding. Oral history methodology, the art of interviewing oral history is as old as antiquity. 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. There are many publications that outline the techniques and principles of oral history work. Practicing oral history in historical organizations book.

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. In his book doing oral history, donald ritchie wrote that oral history has. The rapid rise in the study of oral history has been evident across a wide range of academic and community settings. Oral history is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool for anyone studying the history of the recent past. 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. 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.

She has been on faculty at nyu since 2009, teaching an array of classes on irish history and migration, oral history and comparative migration. Oral history as distinct from indepth interview what is oral history. 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. Pdf one of the great advantages of oral history is that it allows scholars. 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. 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.

Oral history is a particularly useful way to capture ordinary peoples lived experiences. At over 10,000 interviews, the oral history archives is one of the largest 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. 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. Significantly, and uniquely, in the interview oral historians speak to their. Horalhist is an hnet discussion network established in 1996, based on an earlier listserv, ohal, developed by terry birdwhistell of the university of kentucky. The smithsonian folklife and oral history interviewing guide. 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. 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. Jan 25, 2020 oral history is a crucial tool to transmit these lessons of struggle. The perfect answers to every interview question interview questions and answers, interviewing, resume, interview tips, motivational interviewing, job interview. Over 200 oral histories and interviews of predominantly chicagobased artists and designers drawn from three collections. Oral history is not folklore, gossip, hearsay, or rumor.

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. Oral history is the systematic collection of living peoples testimony about their own experiences. 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. This guide brings together information on oral history methodology as well as a list of select oral history collections and resources at duke. Isabel bishop 19021988 was a painter in new york, new york. Oral historians inform narrators about the nature and purpose of oral history interviewing in general and of their interview specifically. Six rules for creating an oral history literary hub. For example, linked, an oral historybased public art installation in east. 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. In dealing with the oral history approach to research it is important to.

An oral history interview is not about the interviewer. 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. Perhaps the most important difference between oral history and traditional history is the personal nature of the former. Its design is meant for book length oral histories, but it can easily be adapted for use in anything from a. Historians use many types of evidence to figure out what happened in the past. Oral history is a method for obtaining evidence by interviewing people about their experiences. How do i archive conduct an oral information sheet history. 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. One editing technique, that we like to call the mobius strip approach, is when. We also offer interactive classes, encouraging participants to create memoirs, films, exhibits, publications and artwork, based on personal stories. Gathered here are parts i and ii of the handbook of oral history, which set the benchmark for knowledge of the field.

We learn the facts about any historical time by study and research. Methodology our alumni oral history master of arts. Principles and best practices oral history association. Chicago visual artist oral history archive, collected by linda l. 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. 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. 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 basics of oral history for social change, and how to develop a communitybased oral history project. The oral history book is a oneonone interview with representative sommers. Oral history training for the classroom slideshare.

What are the advantages and disadvantage of using oral source. Making sense of oral history offers a place for students and teachers to begin working with oral history as historical evidence. Interviewing guidelines ucla center oral history research. Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. It has been half a century since the last book that addressed how historical societies can utilize oral history. 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. Oral history sage research methods sage publications. 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. John laird, transcript of an oral history conducted 2001, in out in the redwoods. 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. This book is the first to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of oral. Oral history qualitative research methods libguides at. About oral history oral history research and resources.