Oral History Review - recent issues

Introduction

Porter, K. — 2008-09-17

"It was very, very churchy": Recollections of Older Dutch-Americans on Growing up in Holland, Michigan

Ester, P. — 2008-09-17

This article pictures the youth memories of older Dutch-Americans who grew up in the "Dutch enclave" of Holland, Michigan. This area is heavily populated by Dutch immigrants sharing traditional Calvinist religious values, norms, and beliefs. Findings are based on oral interviews among a sample of older respondents from the area. The study combines a generational approach with an oral history methodology. Results indicate that respondents cherish their formative years, their Dutch-American upbringing, and feel that their socialization in strict values, norms, and beliefs had lasting effects on their personal life course and life style. It is concluded that combining generational theory and the methodology of oral history opens very promising interdisciplinary perspectives.

The Mischling Experience in Oral History

Monteath, P. — 2008-09-17

This paper examines the usefulness of oral history in dealing with the fate of the so-called Mischlinge in Nazi Germany; that is, people categorized by the authorities as being of "mixed race." It argues that oral history provides an invaluable supplement to the written, official record. The latter is by its nature a view "from above" and from the perpetrators; it generally excludes the perspective of the victims of Nazi racial policy. Moreover, as an overview of the treatment of Mischlinge demonstrates, there were stark discrepancies between policy and practice which are difficult to comprehend on the basis of the written record alone, but which are well exemplified through a study of individual experiences. The paper uses several examples of such experiences collected from three separate video testimony repositories to analyze the nature of those experiences, detecting discrepancies between official policy and practice and observing the considerable variations in the nature and harshness of those experiences. Finally, the oral history record is found to be invaluable in tracing some of the longer-term consequences of the Third Reich for surviving Mischlinge, especially in terms of their constructions of identity and the ways in which, for the period after the Second World War, they dealt with the ascribed identities which had so heavily impacted them in their early years.

A Columbine Study: Giving Voice, Hearing Meaning

Mears, C. L. — 2008-09-17

On a quiet spring morning, the 20th of April 1999, Columbine High School emerged from relative anonymity as a typical suburban high school and became internationally recognized as a symbol of school violence and tragic loss. As a parent whose child was in the school at the time of the attack, I struggled to make sense of the tragedy. I decided to conduct research into the experience as a way to learn lessons that might help others exposed to community-wide trauma in the future. Through modified oral history interviews of other Columbine parents in combination with other qualitative research strategies, I collected and studied stories of the events of that day and the years following. An unexpected by-product emerged from the study, for it seemed that I was not only learning about crisis response and trauma care but also offering a means for parents to gain comfort in reflecting on their own experience. This paper describes the distinct approach that I employed to create a gateway to understanding this experience. It does not explicate the findings of the Columbine study but instead explores the potential for positive outcomes for those who, by giving voice to their stories, can connect to a deeper appreciation for their own experience.

Oral History and Hurricane Katrina: Reflections on Shouts and Silences

Sloan, S. — 2008-09-17

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, many oral historians throughout the nation began to consider the role their methodology could serve in documenting the storm and its aftermath. Interviewing so soon after such a traumatic event creates new considerations for oral history as an approach to recording experience. The problems and possibilities of oral history at such a moment initiated a vibrant discussion on H-Oralhist and at professional meetings in the fall of 2005. This article reflects on many of the topics raised in that dialogue, including issues of historical distance, objectivity, reflection, and emotional trauma. The piece also offers an early review of the work of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi to document the impact of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

Katrina Narratives: What Creative Writers Can Teach Us about Oral History

Hirsch, A., Dixon, C. — 2008-09-17

Creative writing graduate students—living in post-Katrina Louisiana and struggling for a means to aid their devastated community—ask their peers about the stories they are telling concerning the hurricanes, how their peers construct their individual hurricane narratives, and how the creative process/discipline bears on the material we call history. The authors frame the discussion around Ronald Grele and Alessandro Portelli's writings on narrative. They argue that the oral history informant and the professional storyteller are linked by certain common pursuits and practices and thereby create common byproducts as well and that these connections offer useful insights into the study of oral history. In this essay, they work to bring the two disciplines together and to explore possible overlaps so that we might benefit from a place of new understanding not yet imagined.

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Moye, J. T. — 2008-09-17

When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts

Valk, A. M. — 2008-09-17

Robert, Mary, And Katrina

Frederickson, K. — 2008-09-17

Remembering the Great Depression in the Rural South

Baugh, C. — 2008-09-17

Memories of the Branch Davidians: The Autobiography of David Koresh'S Mother

Bergen, T. — 2008-09-17

Dwellers of Memory: Youth and Violence in Medellin, Colombia

Boyd, D. — 2008-09-17

New Faces At The Crossroads: The World In Central Indiana

Cade, C. — 2008-09-17

Weeki Wachee, City Of Mermaids: A History Of One Of Florida'S Oldest Roadside Attractions

DeBlasio, D. M. — 2008-09-17

Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders And How They Changed America, 1789-1989

Dunar, A. J. — 2008-09-17

Sing My Whole Life Long: Jenny Vincent's Life In Folk Music And Activism

Fiore, K. — 2008-09-17

American Paper Son: A Chinese Immigrant In The Midwest

Fong, C. — 2008-09-17

Communities Without Borders: Images And Voices From The World Of Migration

Kelley, S. — 2008-09-17

Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965

Lekus, I. — 2008-09-17

Memories and Reflections, The Singapore Experience: Documenting a Nation's History Through Oral History

MacKay, N. — 2008-09-17

Battling the Plantation Mentality: Memphis and the Black Freedom Struggle

Moore, G. — 2008-09-17

The Father of all Things: A Marine, His Son, And The Legacy of Vietnam

Murphy, B. — 2008-09-17

Going Indian

Quinlan, M. K. — 2008-09-17

Shattered Dreams? an Oral History of the South African Aids Epidemic

Rickard, W. — 2008-09-17

Generation on Fire: Voices of Protest from the 1960s: An Oral History

Schrag, Z. M. — 2008-09-17

Don't Let The Sun Step Over You: A White Mountain Apache Family Life, 1860-1975

Sommer, B. W. — 2008-09-17

Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power In Argentina

Russo, V., Starecheski, A. — 2008-09-17

Beyond Little Rock: The Origins and Legacies of the Central High Crisis

Stave, B. M. — 2008-09-17

It's Good to be a Woman--Voices from Bryn Mawr, Class of '62

Thompson, N. — 2008-09-17

Personal Narratives of Irish and Scottish Migration, 1921-65: "For Spirit and Adventure"

Varricchio, M. — 2008-09-17

Iraqi Women: Untold Stories from 1948 to the Present

Weiss, L. — 2008-09-17

The Outsiders Within: Telling Australia's Indigenous-Asian Story

Wilton, J. — 2008-09-17

The War: An Intimate History, 1941-45

Yow, V. — 2008-09-17

Field of Spears: The Last Mission of the Jordan Crew

Zibowsky, Y. — 2008-09-17

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

Porter, K. — 2008-01-01

Through Hell and High Water: New Orleans, August 29-September 15, 2005

Cave, M. — 2008-01-01

Abstract: In October of 2005 the Historic New Orleans Collection initiated an oral history project entitled "Through Hell and High Water: New Orleans, August 29–September 15, 2005." The intent of the project was to capture the stories of first responders who worked in the New Orleans metropolitan area during the storm and the weeks that followed. The interview process has been linked with the after-action studies done by some of the local first-responding agencies and has provided a much-needed outlet for first responders. To date over three hundred subjects have been interviewed, and our work thus far has shown us that top-down methods of documentation do not work with an event like Katrina. The almost total loss of communications made it impossible for high-ranking members of the different agencies to control or even know what lower-ranking members were doing. As a result it will be necessary to cast a wide net in our documentation effort.

Diagnosis versus Dialogue: Oral Testimony and the Study of Pediatric Pain

Nutkiewicz, M. — 2008-01-01

Abstract: Through the perspectives of the children, this essay examines the communication between pediatric pain patients and their doctors. Based upon the oral history responses of thirty-two patients with chronic pain present for evaluation at the Pediatric Pain Clinic at UCLA, oral testimony was employed to uncover a wide range of topics related to a child's experience with pain such as family dynamics, how and when pain became a life-changing factor, coping strategies, and external sources that contribute to the child's understanding of pain. Most important, children were encouraged to explain what it was like to be in pain, not only to describe symptoms but also to share their dreams and hopes, their fears and uncertainties—as well as the place of pain in their world.

Phenomenology and the Problems of Oral History

Kirby, R. K. — 2008-01-01

Abstract: In this article, the author argues that many of the best practices of oral history reflect phenomenological thinking even though practitioners may not describe themselves as using phenomenological methods. The author suggests that knowledge and application of phenomenology can clarify or minimize such potential problems as interviewer bias and informant unreliability and can refute accusations that oral history is less reliable than history taken from documents.

Teaching and Social Reform in the 1960s: Lessons from National Teacher Corps Oral Histories

Rogers, B. L. — 2008-01-01

Abstract: This article draws on oral history narratives to examine the beliefs and expectations that brought a group of young people to the field of teaching in the 1960s through the National Teacher Corps (NTC). The oral histories address the identities, politics, aims, and backgrounds of a dozen NTC participants. By situating the voices of these young people within a larger social and historical context, the article uses oral history testimony to reconsider existing accounts of social reform movements and teaching in the 1960s and early 1970s. Specifically, the oral histories allow Teacher Corps participants to emerge as individuals who represent an important if largely unexplored population that took part in 1960s movements toward greater equality and social justice and who embraced the unique perspective that teaching in ordinary schools serving poor and minority students could offer meaningful opportunities for grassroots, social reform activity.

Oral History and al-Nakbah

Gluck, S. B. — 2008-01-01

"No Flies on Bill": The Story of an Uncontrollable old Woman, My Grandmother, Ethel "Billie" Gammon

Corbett, K. T. — 2008-01-01

The Face of Decline: the Pennsylvania Anthracite Region in the Twentieth Century

DeBlasio, D. M. — 2008-01-01

The Italian American Experience In New Haven: Images and Oral Histories

DeBlasio, D. M. — 2008-01-01

The Oral History Project: Connecting Students to Their Community, Grades 4-8

Hickey, M. G. — 2008-01-01

Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis that Shocked A Nation

Lancaster, G. — 2008-01-01

Reclaiming the Ancestors: Decolonizing a Taken Prehistory of the Far Northeast

MacDougall, P. — 2008-01-01

Turkey's Modernization: Refugees From Nazism and Ataturk's Vision

Ozturkmen, A. — 2008-01-01

Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986

Piliawsky, M. — 2008-01-01

Red Brick in the Land of Steady Habits: Creating the Univeristy of Connecticut, 1881-2006

Porter, K. K. — 2008-01-01

Fishing for Gold: The Story of Alabama's Catfish Industry

Preuss, G. — 2008-01-01

The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation

Quinlan, M. K. — 2008-01-01

Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin

Reeves, T. — 2008-01-01

Talk Back: Sex Workers in the Maritimes

Rickard, W. — 2008-01-01

Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President

Ritchie, D. A. — 2008-01-01

Historia, Antropologia, Y Fuentes Orales

Junco, N. R. — 2008-01-01

A Florida Fiddler: The Life and Times of Richard Seaman

Seemann, C. — 2008-01-01

In Our Own Voices: a Guide to Conducting Life History Interviews with American Jewish Women

Thomopoulos, E. — 2008-01-01

Creating Choice: A Community Responds to the Need for Abortion and Birth Control, 1961-1973

Valk, A. M. — 2008-01-01

Inconstant Companions: Archaeology and North American Indian Oral Traditions

Woodworth-Ney, L. — 2008-01-01

Clio's Southern Sisters: Interviews with Leaders of the Southern Association for Women Historians

Yow, V. — 2008-01-01

Editor's Introduction

Porter, K. K. — 2007-01-01

Before Columbia: The FWP and American Oral History Research

Hirsch, J. — 2007-01-01

This article compares and contrasts the approaches of the New Deal Federal Writers' Project and the Columbia Oral History Program in an effort to reconsider the paradoxical history of oral history research in the United States and its relationship to how many oral historians today look at their work and the history of their field. As it turns out, the theoretical and social concerns of the FWP projects are closer to current theoretical concerns of oral historians than the work Allan Nevins conducted in the early years of the Columbia project. The article also shows how awareness of the history of the intellectual and cultural currents that affect oral history projects in general, and the FWP's work in particular—interviews with former slaves, tenant farmers, industrial workers, and members of ethnic minorities—can help us analyze and use those materials. It argues that an awareness of continuity and discontinuity in the history of oral history makes it possible for today's oral historians to have a productive dialogue with their predecessors in the field.

"The Doctor Told Us What He Wanted": Sam Koenig's Instructions to WPA Ethnic Group Survey Interviewers

Stave, B. M. — 2007-01-01

The instructions given to Connecticut's Federal Writers' Project Ethnic Group Survey interviewers seventy years ago by the Survey's director, Samuel Koenig, raise many issues relevant to interviewing in today's digital age. Regardless of technology, or the lack thereof, how such instructions are followed help to determine the quality of an interview.

"That Food of the Memory which Gives the Clue to Profitable Research": Oral history as a source for local, regional, and family history in the nineteenth and early twentieth century

Hering, K. — 2007-01-01

Numerous local, regional and family historians in the nineteenth and early twentieth century collected oral narrations and conducted interviews as a form to document information that otherwise might have never been preserved. Family historians, in particular, not only practiced interviewing relatives for family histories, but also encouraged the practice in how-to-do manuals among their peers. While advocating the practice, family historians also reflected about the value of "traditionary evidence" collected through interviews and other means. These reflections by family historians mirrored the discussions about the value of traditions and memories as historical sources among several professional historians at the time. These reflections were shaped by a modernized understanding of tradition, which combined a reverential approach to the authoritarian element of tradition with a critical approach questioning the validity of tradition. In this context, oral history was both a tool to negotiate the value of tradition and a mirror to the contemporary understanding of tradition.

Method and Memory in the Midwestern "Lincoln Inquiry": Oral Testimony and Abraham Lincoln Studies, 1865 1938

Erekson, K. A. — 2007-01-01

This article narrates the role of oral testimony in the field of Abraham Lincoln studies from 1865 through the 1930s. Collected in the form of letters, affidavits, and face-to-face interviews, this mounting body of "eyewitness evidence" dominated the discourse for two generations and reflective, public practice culminated in the organization of a "Lincoln Inquiry" in the Midwest during the 1920s and 1930s. For a time, practitioners successfully defended themselves against increasing positivist assaults on the credibility of oral testimony. Their interests and efforts resonate with later oral history practice and theory about method, authorship, performance, and memory, and their story highlights the contingency inherent in the development of oral historical practice in America.

"The Original Angry Young Man"

Porter, K. K. — 2007-01-01

"Curiosity Could Not Kill This Cat"

Porter, K. K. — 2007-01-01

Presidential Oral History: The Clinton Presidential History Project

Riley, R. L. — 2007-01-01

Most conventional oral history takes a bottom-up approach to the past, focusing on settings where there is little in the way of a functional written record. This essay discusses the value of oral history in the opposite case of the American presidency. The written archive and journalistic record on each president is immense. Yet oral history is a valuable resource in this elite environment, too. There are routine silences in even the best of presidential papers, which oral history interviews can help fill. Moreover, the White House has become a workplace where recorded details can be hazardous to one's political health. Accordingly, few presidential aides today keep diaries or notes of key meetings—impoverishing the archive future historians will use to study the presidency of our times. Oral history thus fortifies a weakening documentary record. This essay explores these broad issues and how they are being dealt with in the conduct of the William J. Clinton Presidential History Project.

Oral History and the Gerald R. Ford White House: The Specter of Watergate

Charnley, J. — 2007-01-01

For the last sixty years, presidential libraries have provided and preserved critical source materials essential for the study of the history of presidents of the United States. Oral histories at those libraries have become an increasingly important part of their key archival collections, with one or two major exceptions. This article analyzes and compares official oral history collections at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library with those of other twentieth century presidents and seeks to explain why the oral histories currently available for research there were so limited until Mr. Ford's death in 2006. The reasons for this are an intriguing blend of developed White House policy, benign neglect, the role of tape recorders in bringing Ford to the Oval Office, and the continuing influence of the ghost of the Watergate scandal even well beyond the years Gerald R. Ford occupied the nation's highest political office.

Commentary

Grele, R. J. — 2007-01-01

Response

Thomson, A. — 2007-01-01

Stories and Songs of South Fermanagh

Hansen, G. — 2007-01-01

Performance Review: "Fast Cars and Tractor Engines"

Friedman, J. — 2007-01-01

Long Road to Brown, Long Road Beyond: Race and Public Education in North Carolina

Sloan, S. — 2007-01-01

Book Review Editor's Introduction

Wolford, J. — 2007-01-01

Contacts Desired: Gay and Lesbian Communications and Community, 1940s-1970s

Bergen, T. — 2007-01-01

Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

Charnley, J. — 2007-01-01

Hard Passage: A Mennonite Family's long Journey from russia to Canada

Clark, J. — 2007-01-01

The Stars of Ballymenone

Hansen, G. — 2007-01-01

Beyond Cannery Row: Sicilian Women, Immigration, and Community in Monterey, California, 1915-99

Hanson, J. A. — 2007-01-01

Little Zion: A Church Baptized by Fire

Hill, K. — 2007-01-01

Wrangling Women: Humor and Gender in the American West

Kelley, S. — 2007-01-01

The Old German Baptist Brethren: Faith, Farming, and Change in the Virginia Blue Ridge

Kimmel, C. M. — 2007-01-01

Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Mexican American Labor and Leisure in a California Town, 1880-1960

Lancaster, G. — 2007-01-01

Preparing the Next Generation of Oral Historians: An Anthology of Oral History Education

Landdeck, K. S. — 2007-01-01

Nisei Memories: My Parents talk about the War Years

Michaels, S. — 2007-01-01

Voices from the Global Margin: Confronting Poverty and Inventing New Lives in the Andes

Minzenberg, E. — 2007-01-01

Voices on the Water: An Oral History and Pictorial History of Antrim County's Chain of Lakes

Perkins, L. — 2007-01-01

Voices of the Knox Mine Disaster: Stories, Remembrances, and Reflections of the Anthracite Coal Industry's last Major Catastrophe, January 22, 1959

Porter, K. — 2007-01-01

Learning from My Mother's Voice: Family Legend and the Chinese American Experience

Primm, A. T. — 2007-01-01

Through The Glass Ceiling: A Life in Nevada Politics

Reeves, T. — 2007-01-01

I am a Man! Race, Manhood, and the Civil Rights Movement

Roque Ramirez, H. N. — 2007-01-01

Reminiscence Theatre: Making Theatre from Memories

Shodell, E. — 2007-01-01

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada: From Boys to Men

Sommer, B. W. — 2007-01-01

Handbook of Oral History

Tebeau, M. — 2007-01-01

The Tenants of East Harlem

Wolford, J. — 2007-01-01

The Oral History Reader

Yow, V. — 2007-01-01