A collection of 13 previously published essays by Frisch (American studies, SUNY). Among them are general reflections on oral history, collective memory, and American culture and history; detailed studies of specific issues in documentary work; and considerations of public history and programming. Examples used include the unemployed, Chinese students, and the television history of the Vietnam War. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
The essays in this anthology represent, in the broadest sense, an interpretive perspective of inquiry that has flourished in oral history for the past 15 years. This perspective considers oral history interviews as subjective, socially constructed and emergent events; that is, understanding, interpretation, and meaning of lived experience are interactively constructed. The impetus for this volume was the editor's fascination with the multifaceted complexity of the oral history interview method coupled with the belief that, despite many books that address methodological issues, no single work takes as its focus those complex, interactive processes which constitute the oral history interview. The editors' purpose in developing this anthology, therefore, was to provide a variety of essays which taken together address the possibilities and constraints inherent in oral history interviewing.
Oral history has been employed for decades by anthropologists, historians, and sociologists to collect data about lived experience. This volume explores how oral history, using video recordings and storytelling as well as interviews, can be used for a number of purposes in communities of color. The authors discuss oral histories that are intended not only to record the culture and history of understudied communities; they also address other goals, such as increasing student interaction with diverse communities and developing effective health interventions. Oral History and Communities of Color presents five essays, each of which considers a different racial/ethnic community: Asian American, American Indian, Latino, African American, and Muslim. Interviews with two scholars who integrate oral history into their research touch on oral history's theoretical foundation in cultural anthropology, particular considerations for collecting oral histories in specific communities, and the importance of including the narrator's personal story.
The Oral History Reader, now in its third edition, is a comprehensive, international anthology combining major, ‘classic’ articles with cutting-edge pieces on the theory, method and use of oral history. Twenty-seven 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 emotions and the senses, on crisis oral history, current thinking around traumatic memory, the impact of digital mobile technologies, and how oral history is being used in public contexts, with more international examples to draw in work from North and South America, Britain and Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa. Arranged in five thematic sections, each with an introduction by the editors to contextualise the selection and review relevant literature, articles in this collection draw upon diverse oral history experiences to examine issues including: Key debates in the development of oral history over the past seventy years First hand reflections on interview practice, and issues posed by the interview relationship The nature of memory and its significance in oral history The practical and ethical issues surrounding the interpretation, presentation and public use of oral testimonies how oral history projects contribute to the study of the past and involve the wider community. The challenges and contributions of oral history projects committed to advocacy and empowerment With a revised and updated bibliography and useful contacts list, as well as a dedicated online resources page, this third edition of The Oral History Reader is the perfect tool for those encountering oral history for the first time, as well as for seasoned practitioners.
The year 1916 witnessed two events that would profoundly shape both politics and commemoration in Ireland over the course of the following century. Although the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme were important historical events in their own right, their significance also lay in how they came to be understood as iconic moments in the emergence of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach drawing on history, politics, anthropology and cultural studies, this volume explores how the memory of these two foundational events has been constructed, mythologised and revised over the course of the past century. The aim is not merely to understand how the Rising and the Somme came to exert a central place in how the past is viewed in Ireland, but to explore wider questions about the relationship between history, commemoration and memory.
Oral history is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool for anyone studying the history of the recent past, and Oral History Theory provides a comprehensive, systematic and accessible overview of this important field. Combining the study of theories drawn from disciplines ranging from linguistics to psychoanalysis with the observations of practitioners and including extensive examples of oral history practice from around the world, this book constitutes the first integrated discussion of oral history theory. Structured around key themes such as the peculiarities of oral history, the study of the self, subjectivity and intersubjectivity, memory, narrative, performance, power and trauma, each chapter provides a clear and user-friendly explanation of the various theoretical approaches, illustrating these with examples from the rich field of published oral history and making suggestions for the practicing oral historian. This second edition includes a new chapter on trauma and ethics, a preface discussing new developments in the field and updated glossary and further reading sections. Supplemented by a new companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/abrams) containing a comprehensive range of case studies, audio material and further resources, this book will be invaluable to experienced and novice oral historians, professionals, and students who are new to the discipline.
Portelli offers a new and challenging approach to oral history, with an interdisciplinary and multicultural perspective. Examining cultural conflict and communication between social groups and classes in industrial societies, he identifies the way individuals strive to create memories in order to make sense of their lives, and evaluates the impact of the fieldwork experience on the consciousness of the researcher. By recovering the value of the story-telling experience, Portelli's work makes delightful reading for the specialist and non-specialist alike.
