By: Alice,
on 4/29/2016
With the summer issue of the Oral History Review just around the corner, we are bringing you a sneak peak of what’s to come. Issue 43.1 is our LGBTQ special issue, featuring oral history projects and stories from around the country.
The post Queer history happens everywhere appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 4/15/2016
When I joined UC Berkeley’s Oral History Center (OHC) in late 2013, I quickly began work designing, planning, and running the Advanced Oral History Summer Institute (SI), which is organized around the life cycle of the interview. Because leading the SI is one of my most important roles at the OHC, it’s hard for me to be objective about its value (I think our week is a robust resource and provides excellent formal training).
The post Summer school for oral historians appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 3/18/2016
Oral history has always been concerned with preserving the voices of the voiceless, and new technologies are enabling oral historians to preserve and present these memories in new and exciting ways. Audio projects can now turn to mapping software to connect oral histories with physical locations, bringing together voices and places.
The post Putting oral history on the map appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 2/5/2016
Two weeks ago, we published the first part of an exchange between Henry Greenspan and Tim Cole. Below, they wrap up their conversation, turning to the intellectual difficulties of taking context into consideration. The issues they raise should be of interest to all oral historians, so we want to hear from you!
The post Contextual cartography: an email exchange with Henry Greenspan and Tim Cole, Part 2 appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 1/22/2016
Regular readers of this blog will be more than familiar with the work of both Tim Cole and Hank Greenspan. Their work offers new and powerful ways of understanding the role of space and time in oral history process and production.
The post Movement and memory: an email exchange with Hank Greenspan and Tim Cole, Part 1 appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 1/8/2016
As you may have heard, Wisconsinites love the people who can quickly turn our spoken words into written text. Transcriptionists are the unsung heroes of the oral history world, helping to make sure the incredible audio information stored in archives across the globe is accessible to the largest audience possible.
The post Q&A with audio transcriptionist Teresa Bergen appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 12/25/2015
In the spirit of Christmas (and in honor of our all-time-favorite daytime talk show host), our present to you is a list of some of our favorite things from 2015. We hope you enjoy reading our list as much as we did writing it.
The post A few of our favorite things appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 12/11/2015
Last month, the oral history world suffered a major loss with the passing of Oral History Association Executive Director Cliff Kuhn. His work touched all of us, and many people have written far more eloquently about his life and his passion than we ever could.
The post Saying goodbye to a great listener: a tribute to Cliff Kuhn, OHA Executive Director appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 11/27/2015
During my second semester at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I took an oral history seminar with Dr. Jacquelyn Dowd Hall. It was an eye-opening experience, not only because of what I learned, but how I learned. We had to conduct two interviews, and after spending nearly two months of class time discussing the historiography and methodology of oral history, I thought I was ready to go. My first interview was with civil rights activist Wyatt Tee Walker, and although he agreed to be interviewed, he was not feeling well and had difficulty speaking. Thrown off, my first few questions were poorly constructed, and I sped through his early life hoping he would have more to say about his activist history later in life. Listen as I struggle:
I lost an opportunity during that interview. I could have discovered more about Wyatt Tee Walker based on his early life, but I zoomed ahead. Now, every time I give a workshop on oral history, I hammer home the same message: start with their childhood. What surprises me are the responses from students, who often look incredulous when I tell them. They may think stories about growing up have nothing to do with their project at hand, and they don’t want to waste time talking about childhood memories. They want to cut to the chase and focus on big events later in life. But by leading off your oral history with several questions about what it was like growing up, you will build the foundation for a better interview.
Let’s say you’re interviewing someone for a larger project about an environmental history of Orange County, North Carolina. The long-time director of a local community organization has agreed to talk to you, and from your research, you know this person will have a lot to say about environmentalism in North Carolina over the past twenty years or so. You arrive to interview the person, you chat and get comfortable with one another, and you begin the interview. You may be tempted to launch right in: “Tell me about how you first came to work with ABC Environmental Group…” or “Tell me about how you first became interested in environmentalism.” Resist the temptation, and begin much, much earlier.
Start by asking your interviewee about their childhood. Introduce yourself, the interviewee, mention the date and any other relevant background information, and then ask your first question: “Tell me about your childhood.” Based on how they respond, they will give you the working materials to ask follow-up questions that will give the interview much more substance. Ask about where they grew up, their neighborhood, their family, their education, their religious background, and so on. Ask about individuals in their family: “Tell me about your father/mother/siblings/grandparents or anyone else influential as you were growing up.” (Hint: many people love talking about their grandparents if they knew them well.)
Hopefully by now you’ve forgotten how I opened my interview with Wyatt Tee Walker. Now, consider this example when I interviewed Evelyn Poole-Kober, a local Republican activist in Chapel Hill. How did that one, single question differ from the many incoherent questions I launched at Walker?
Here’s what happened next. Poole-Kober shared stories about her childhood and adolescence for about a third of the total interview, around 45 minutes. Should I consider these stories wasteful because they weren’t directly related to my project at hand? I don’t think so. She opened up, shared intimate details of her life, and led me through her early life to show where she ended up. These memories enhanced the total value of the interview, and they opened the door to more questions, more stories, and a richer interview about her whole life.
Concentrating on childhood questions also helps oral historians move toward curating oral histories rather than just collecting them. As Linda Shopes suggested in a previous blog post, quality and originality should be stressed over quantity when conducting an oral history project. By focusing the beginning of every interview on childhood, no matter the project, you will generate an unpredictable set of stories and information that researchers working on vastly different projects might one day find useful. Curated in a way that crosses projects, time periods, and disciplines, these stories enliven the field of oral history by rooting the past of each person in vivid ways.
Every oral history interview and project is different. You may not have the time, or you might be unable to dedicate an extended period of time to every person’s childhood and adolescence. But if you can, I suggest that you do. The rewards can be great.
Image Credit: “Childhood Pictures” by martinak15. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.
The post Oral history and childhood memories appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 11/13/2015
In two weeks, as students across the United States are enjoying their Thanksgiving break, StoryCorps wants to give us all a bit of homework. Calling it the Great Thanksgiving Listen, they are asking high school students to use their mobile app (available in iTunes or Google Play) to “preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend.”
The post Getting to the core of StoryCorps, and other audio puns appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 10/16/2015
This week, we’re bringing you another exciting edition of the Oral History Review podcast, in which Troy Reeves talks to OHR contributor Jessica Taylor.
The post Landscapes of meaning appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 10/2/2015
This week, we’re pushing the boundaries a bit to bring you an interview with Dana Gerber-Margie, who publishes The Audio Signal, a “weekly digest about audio.” Troy and I are huge fans of the newsletter, as are Pop Up Archive and even the Wall Street Journal.
The post Archivist by day, audio enthusiast by night: an interview with Dana Gerber-Margie appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 9/4/2015
We recently asked you to tell us to send us your reflections, stories, and the difficulties you’ve faced while doing oral history. This week, we bring you another post in this series, focusing on an oral history project from Carmen Doncel and Henry Eric Hernández. We encourage you to to chime into the discussion, comment below or on our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and G+ pages.
The post Back to the “stove front”: an oral history project about Cuban housewives appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 8/21/2015
There are less than two months left before we converge on Tampa for the Oral History Association’s annual meeting! This week, we asked Jessica Taylor of the University of Florida’s Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, who authored "We're on Fire: Oral History and the Preservation, Commemoration, and Rebirth of Mississippi's Civil Rights Sites" in the most recent Oral History Review.
The post Off the beaten path: An insider’s guide to Tampa history for #OHR2015 appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 8/21/2015
There are less than two months left before we converge on Tampa for the Oral History Association’s annual meeting! This week, we asked Jessica Taylor of the University of Florida’s Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, who authored "We're on Fire: Oral History and the Preservation, Commemoration, and Rebirth of Mississippi's Civil Rights Sites" in the most recent Oral History Review.
The post Off the beaten path: An insider’s guide to Tampa history for #OHA2015 appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 7/24/2015
Over the last few months, we’ve had the pleasure of publishing thoughtful reflections, compelling narratives, and deep engagements with what it means to do oral history. Each post was written by a member of the oral history community who was willing to share their thoughts and experiences with all of us. We received an incredible response from our last call for submissions, so we’re coming back again to ask for more.
The post What’s your story? Calling all oral history bloggers appeared first on OUPblog.
By: SoniaT,
on 7/10/2015
"When I went to the Iv'ry Coast, about thirty years ago, I remember coming off the plane and just being assaulted with not only the heat but the color." These were the first words of the most moving story I have ever heard—but it wasn’t the story I was there to collect. For me, the best oral histories are the ones that sound a human chord, stories that blur the spaces between historically significant narrative and personal development.
The post Uniqueness lost appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 4/3/2015
In the Fall of 2012, I decided to offer to conduct oral history interviews of Monmouth University's student veterans to donate to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. I hadn't conducted any oral histories since leaving government service the prior year. I missed the craft, and thought this a truly worthwhile endeavor.
The post Oral histories of student veterans at Monmouth University appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 1/9/2015
I sat down with Samantha Snyder, a Student Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives, to talk about her work. From time to time, the UW Archives has students test various voice recognition programs, and for the last few months Samantha has been testing the software program Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is an innovative way of processing oral histories, so we were excited to hear how it was going.
To start off, can you tell me a bit about the project you’re working on?
I started this project in June of 2014, and worked on it most of the summer. The interviews I transcribed included three sessions with a UW-Madison Teaching Assistant who participated in the 2011 Capitol Protests. There was some great content that was waiting to be transcribed, and I decided to dive right in. Each interview session was about fifty minutes.
I was asked to try out Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I had never heard of the software before, and was excited to be the one to test it out. What I didn’t realize is that there is quite the steep learning curve.
Sounds like it started off slow. What did it take to get the program working?
I spent quite a bit of time reading through practice exercises, which are meant to get the program to the point where it will recognize your voice. The exercises include things like Kennedy’s inaugural speech, children’s books, and cover letters. They were actually fun to read, but I knew I had to get down to business.
I loaded up the first interview into Express Scribe —
That’s a different program, right?
Yep, it allows you to slow down and speed up the interview, which I learned was absolutely necessary. With the programs finally up and running, I plugged in the start/stop pedal, opened a Word document and began. I immediately realized I had to slow the interview down to about 60% of its regular speed, because I was having a tough time keeping up.
Unfortunately, I think most oral historians are familiar with the drudgery of transcription. Do you think the program helped to make the process any easier?
The first interview session took me around five hours total to complete. This included editing the words and sentences that came out completely different than what I thought I had said clearly, and formatting the interview into its proper transcript form. During the first interview I tried using commands to delete and fix phrases, but I found it was easier to just going back through and edit after finishing the dictation. I was surprised at how long it took me to complete the first interview, and I was stressed that maybe this wasn’t worth it, and I should just listen and type without dictating.
For the second and third interview sessions, it became much easier, and Dragon began to recognize my voice, for the most part. It only took me around two hours to dictate and edit subsequent interviews, a much more manageable timeframe than five hours. I think using the pedal and Express Scribe made the process much easier, because I was able to slow down the interview as well as stop and start when needed. I definitely would recommend using similar products along with Dragon, because it does play audio but does not have the option to slow down or speed up the interview. Without the pedal and Express Scribe I think it would have taken me much longer! My pedal stopped working during one of my days working on transcribing, and it turned into a much more stressful process.
It sounds like the experiment was fairly success. Two hours to transcribe and edit a 50-minute interview doesn’t seem bad at all!
Overall I would say Dragon NaturallySpeaking is an innovative way to transcribe oral history interviews, but I wouldn’t say it is necessarily the most efficient. I would like to transcribe an interview of similar length by simply listening and typing to compare the amount of time taken, but I haven’t had a chance to do so yet.
Maybe we can get another review when you’ve had the chance to compare the methods. Any final thoughts?
I think I will still be transcribing by doing my old standard, listening and typing along with the recording. Speech recognition software is an innovative tool, but in the end there is still a long way to go before it replaces the traditional transcription process.
I’m sure we all look forward to the days when software can fully take over transcription. Thanks for your help, and for the excellent review!
If you’ve tried voice recognition software, or other creative oral history methods, share your results with us on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, even Google+.
Headline image credit: Listen. Image by Fe Ilya. CC BY-SA 2.0 via renneville Flickr.
The post Using voice recognition software in oral history transcription appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 12/19/2014
Last April, we asked you to help us out with ideas for the Oral History Review’s blog. We got some great responses, and now we’re back to beg for more! We want to use our social media platforms to encourage discussion within the broad community oral historians, from professional historians to hobbyists. Part of encouraging that discussion is asking you all to contribute your thoughts and experiences.
Whether you have a follow up to your presentation at the Oral History Association Annual Meeting, a new project you want to share, an essay on your experiences doing oral history, or something completely different, we’d love to hear from you.
We are currently looking for posts between 500-800 words or 15-20 minutes of audio or video. These are rough guidelines, however, so we are open to negotiation in terms of media and format. We should also stress that while we welcome posts that showcase a particular project, we can’t serve as landing page for anyone’s kickstarter.
Please direct any questions, pitches or submissions to the social media coordinator, Andrew Shaffer, at ohreview[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also message us on Twitter (@oralhistreview) or Facebook.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Image credits: (1) A row of colorful telephones stands in Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train station. Photo by Mark Fischer. CC BY-SA 2.0 via fischerfotos Flickr. (2) Retro Microphone. © Kohlerphoto via iStockphoto.
The post Calling oral history bloggers – again! appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Julia Callaway,
on 11/14/2014
This week, we bring you an interview with activist and historian Jeffrey W. Pickron. He and three other scholars spoke about their experiences as academics and activists on a riveting panel at the recent Oral History Association Annual Meeting. In this podcast, Pickron talks to managing editor Troy Reeves about his introduction to both oral history and activism, and the risks and rewards of speaking out.
Heading image: Boeing employees protest meeting in Seattles City Hall Park, 1943 by Seattle Municipal Archives. CC-BY-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
The post Academics as activists: an interview with Jeffrey W. Pickron appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 10/31/2014
The 2014 Oral History Association Annual Meeting featured an exciting musical plenary session led by Michael Honey and Pat Krueger. They presented the songs and stories of John Handcox, the “poet laureate” of the interracial Southern Tenant Farmers Union, linking generations of struggle in the South through African American song and oral poetry traditions. The presentation built on Dr. Honey’s article in Oral History Review 41.2, “’Sharecroppers’ Troubadour': Can We Use Songs and Oral Poetry as Oral History?,” as well as his recent book.
The audio below was graciously recorded and provided by the faculty of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
Image credits: Oral History Association Annual Meeting flyer courtesy of the Oral History Association. Michael Honey headshot courtesy of Michael Honey.
The post Sharecropper’s Troubadour: songs and stories from the 2014 OHA Annual Meeting appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 10/17/2014
Last weekend we were thrilled to see so many of you at the 2014 Oral History Association (OHA) Annual Meeting, “Oral History in Motion: Movements, Transformations, and the Power of Story.” The panels and roundtables were full of lively discussions, and the social gatherings provided a great chance to meet fellow oral historians. You can read a recap from Margo Shea, or browse through the Storify below, prepared by Jaycie Vos, to get a sense of the excitement at the meeting. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some more in depth blog posts from the meeting, so make sure to check back often.
We look forward to seeing you all next year at the Annual Meeting in Florida. And special thanks to Margo Shea for sending in her reflections on the meeting and to Jaycie Vos (@jaycie_v) for putting together the Storify.
Headline image credit: Madison, Wisconsin cityscape at night, looking across Lake Monona from Olin Park. Photo by Richard Hurd. CC BY 2.0 via rahimageworks Flickr.
The post Recap of the 2014 OHA Annual Meeting appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 10/3/2014
This week, we have a special podcast with managing editor Troy Reeves and Oral History Review 41.2 contributor Amy Starecheski. Her article, “Squatting History: The Power of Oral History as a History-Making Practice,” explores the ways in which an in intergenerational group of activists have used oral history to pass on knowledge through public discussions about the past. In the podcast, Starecheski discusses her motivation for the project and her involvement in the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association. Check out the podcast below.
https://soundcloud.com/oral-history-review/the-power-of-oral-history-as-a-history-making-practice/
You can learn more about the Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association in the Meeting Program. If you have any trouble playing the podcast, you can download the mp3.
Headline image credit: Courtesy of Amy Starecheski.
The post The power of oral history as a history-making practice appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Alice,
on 9/19/2014
Dearest readers, I am sorry to say that the time has come for me to say goodbye. I have had a wonderful time meeting you all, not to mention learning more than I ever thought I would know about the fantastic field of oral history. However, grant applications and comprehensive examinations are calling my name, so I must take a step back from tweeting, Facebooking, tumbling and Google plusing (sure, why not).
Fear not, we have found another to take my place: the esteemable and often bow-tie-wearing Andrew Shaffer. I chatted with him earlier this week and I already think he’ll make a wonderful Caitlin 2.0. (For instance, Andrew originally wanted to introduce himself with the lyrics from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. A+.)
* * * * *
So, Andrew, tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, Caitlin, I am a first year PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying gender and sexuality history in a modern US context. I’m originally from Illinois, but lived in San Francisco for three years before coming to Madison. There I received an MA in International Studies and worked at a non-profit that provides legal resources and policy analysis to immigrants and immigration advocates.
Do you have any interests outside of school?
Honestly? Not really… But when I’m not thinking about school, I sometimes read, go on walks, or explore all the exciting things Madison has to offer.
That’s a little sad. But since you love school so much, I bet you have exceptionally exciting research interests?
I’m really interested in the ways LGBT activists have responded to political and social changes, and how their efforts have impacted the everyday lives of LGBT communities. Because of the incredible diversity among LGBT communities, I use intersectional approaches to better understand how various segments of our community are affected, or even created by these changes.
Oh, awesome! Do you use oral history or interviews in your research?
Absolutely! I had the good fortune to take a class on oral history methods in college, and I fell in love with it right away. Since then, I’ve been involved with multiple oral history projects, and I think it is one of the best tools available to preserve a community’s memories. Because I study the very recent past, I’m lucky to be able to use interviews and oral histories extensively in my research.
You’ll fit in just fine here then — perhaps even better than I did. Speaking of, what are you looking forward to about this position?
I’m most looking forward to meeting and interacting with people who are using oral history to accomplish new and interesting things. The Oral History Review has featured some really great articles on things like using Google Glass for interviews, and using oral history to document the lives of people with schizophrenia. I’m excited to learn more about novel uses of oral history.
Thanks for noticing! I (and Troy) have worked hard to keep up with the latest trends in the field and to shine a spotlight on all the great work oral historians have been doing. Any concerns about taking over?
Definitely! Like most academic types, I find it easier to write 30 pages than 140 characters, but hopefully I’ll learn some brevity. You’ve done a really great job of preparing and sharing high quality posts through Oral History Review’s social media outlets, and I hope I can continue to provide an enjoyable experience for all of our followers!
I’m sure you’ll do great. Best of luck!
* * * * *
Andrew has already taken over all the social media platforms, so you should feel free to bombard him with questions at @oralhistreview, in the comments below or via the other 3 million social media accounts he now runs. He and I will also be at the upcoming annual meeting in October, so be sure to say hi — and goodbye.
Image credit: Cropped close-up of two hands passing a relay baton against a white background. © chaiyon021 via iStockphoto.
The post So Long, Farewell appeared first on OUPblog.
How readily someone may be understood when using a new word will depend on several factors: the intuitable transparency of meaning, its clarity in context, the receptiveness of the audience, and so on.
The post The AUTO- age appeared first on OUPblog.
‘Territoriality’ plays a central role under our current paradigm of jurisdictional thinking. Indeed, a State’s rights and responsibilities are largely defined by reference to territoriality. States have exclusive powers in relation to everything that occurs within their respective territories, and this right is combined with a duty to respect the exclusive powers of other States over their respective territories.
The post The concept of ‘extraterritoriality’: widely used, but misguided and useless appeared first on OUPblog.