Linda Shopes "What is Oral History" explains thoroughly what Oral History is, how historians use it, and how we should interpret it. Oral History has been the spoken word for multiple generations. The beginning collections of oral history began with the Federal Writers Project (FWP) during the late 1930's and early 1940's. Though this was the start of a new way of recording history, it was not very reliable due to its lack of recording audio. Without any recording devives, oral history relied heavily on human note-takers. Therefore, the actual beginning of Oral History was in 1948. Allan Nevins work at Columbia University is greatly valued because of his systematic approach, which was substantial for the future through his recorded work.
Linda Shopes summarized it this way, "oral history might be understood as a self conscious, disciplined conversation between two people about some aspect of the past considered by them to be of histrical significance and intentionally recorded for the record. Although the conversation takes the form of an interview, in which one person-the interviewer- asks the questions of another person- variously referred to as the interviewee or narrator--oral history is, at its heart, a dialogue."
Shopes continues to explain the best interview techniques, what to exclude and include. She adds "the best interviews have a measured, thinking out loud quality, as perceptive questions work and rework a particular topic, encouraging the narrator to remember details, seeking to clarify that which is muddled, making connections among seemingly disconnected recollections, challenging contradictions, evoking assessments of what it all meant then and what it means now." She continues by addressing that the interviewers should carefully listen to waht the narrator says and what the narrator is trying to get you to think.
Interviews show shifts in power through marriages, unemployment, employment for women, and a change in the way people raise their children. It "opens up new views of the past." Other interview topics contain events, like cherished memories, a tour to Iraq, a valued job.
Linda Shopes summarized it this way, "oral history might be understood as a self conscious, disciplined conversation between two people about some aspect of the past considered by them to be of histrical significance and intentionally recorded for the record. Although the conversation takes the form of an interview, in which one person-the interviewer- asks the questions of another person- variously referred to as the interviewee or narrator--oral history is, at its heart, a dialogue."
Shopes continues to explain the best interview techniques, what to exclude and include. She adds "the best interviews have a measured, thinking out loud quality, as perceptive questions work and rework a particular topic, encouraging the narrator to remember details, seeking to clarify that which is muddled, making connections among seemingly disconnected recollections, challenging contradictions, evoking assessments of what it all meant then and what it means now." She continues by addressing that the interviewers should carefully listen to waht the narrator says and what the narrator is trying to get you to think.
Interviews show shifts in power through marriages, unemployment, employment for women, and a change in the way people raise their children. It "opens up new views of the past." Other interview topics contain events, like cherished memories, a tour to Iraq, a valued job.
RSS Feed