Working on Labor Day with Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel was a master storyteller, or maybe story-listener. His oral histories showed that with the right ear, he could make an interview something special -- he got to the heart of things, to the hearts of people.

The Digitization and Democratization of Oral History

In the field of oral history, nothing has been more prominent and consequential over the last two decades than the digital revolution. High quality and affordable audio and video recorders have greatly extended oral history practice; not only is there more oral history being done, it is being done and thought about very differently.

Into the digital, oral era

Much in the tradition of oral history, the new media online has an oral impulse both in terms of its freewheeling spokenness and in its drawing on the opinions and experiences of a teeming cross section of society.

Oral History in the Video Age

This article examines the role of oral history in a cultural and technical context increasingly dominated by digital video. The author reflects on new opportunities for video oral history, especially regarding access, audience engagement, and innovative partnerships. These opportunities call for new forms of engagement with the academy, with partners beyond the academy, and with the vast and teeming crowd that is the modern digital public.

Memories of Nazi and Stalinist repression

Peter Coleman, Centre for Research on Ageing, University of Southampton, reports on progress of a project recording older people’s memories of Nazi and Stalinist repression in Eastern Europe funded by the German foundation EVZ ‘Erinnerung Verantwortung Zukunft’ (Remembrance Responsibility Future) and directed by Professors Andreas Kruse and Eric Schmitt at the Institute of Gerontology, University of Heidelberg. Data collection has been coordinated by Andrei Podolskij, Professor of Educational and Developmental Psychology at Moscow State University.

Why the Boston College Oral History HNN Teacher

Boston College motto: "Ever to Excel," engraved on the Bapst Library on campus. Credit: Wiki Commons. The journalists are mostly wrong. A federal appeals court decision in Boston this week is a victory, of sorts, but not for oral history. Neither is it much of a victory for Boston College, which filed the appeal. In the end, the university merely protected confidential archival material that its own curious negligence put at risk. (Read the First Circuit's complete opinion here.)

Memory, Beyond the "Truth" of Actual Deeds

“A narrated memory is a product of a selective process, and is thus accompanied by silences and forgotten elements. When we remember, we seek to create an identity for ourselves that harmonizes the past and the present. At the same time, it demonstrates a desire to leave our mark on our world, discussing what we are for and what we are against. Memory thus represents an active arena where we continually negotiate our perceptions of being and living in the world.

Why Students Should Stop Interviewing Vietnam Veterans

It’s that time of the year: Hi, my name is Emily and I’m supposed to interview a Vietnam veteran for my AP history class. Hello, I’m Chris and my senior project is on the Vietnam War. Do you know any veterans I could talk to? Dear Veterans, I’m studying the Vietnam War and I would like to know how you were treated when you came home. Could I ask you some questions? Thank you for your service, Jason.

Intersections of sister fields

In March 2012, there was a discussion on the public folklorists’ listserv Publore about the evolution of oral history as a defined discipline and folklorists’ contribution to its development. As an observer and participant in both fields, I see overlap today. The leaderships of both national associations — the Oral History Association (OHA) and the American Folklore Society (AFS) — frequently collaborate on large-scale projects, like the current IMLS-funded project looking at oral history in the digital age. Their annual meetings regularly take place back-to-back.

Oral histories and archiving memories in South Africa

There is a great need in South Africa – and probably elsewhere – to safeguard intangible heritage by collecting, recording and archiving memories of community members from different parts of the country. Conservation of these memories requires the use of oral history, testimonies and personal recollections of the quotidian.