Oral History An Interdisciplinary Anthology

by Dunaway, David K.; Baum, Willa K.; Nevins, Allan; Starr, Louis; Grele, Ronald J.; Hoffman, Alice; Tuchman, Barbara; Cutler, William, III; Moss, William; Vansina, Jan; Finnegan, Ruth; Lance, David; Benison, Saul; Friedlander, Peter; Fry, Amelia; Montell, L

• ISBN13: 9780761991892
• ISBN10: 0761991891
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-09-18
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology is a collection of classic articles by some of the best known proponents of oral history, demonstrating the basics of oral history, while also acting as a guidebook for how to use it in research. Added to this new edition is insight into how oral history is practiced on an international scale, making this book an indispensable resource for scholars of history and social sciences, as well as those interested in oral history on the avocational level. This volume is a reprint of the 1984 edition, with the added bonus of a new introduction by David Dunaway and a new section on how oral history is practiced on an international scale. Selections from the original volume trace the origins of oral history in the United States, provide insights on methodology and interpretation, and review the various approaches to oral history used by folklorists, historians, anthropologists, and librarians, among others. Family and ethnic historians will find chapters addressing the applications of oral history in those fields.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Interdisciplinarity of Oral History	7	(23)
David K. Dunaway
From the Preface to the First Edition	23	(4)
Willa K. Baum
PART ONE THE GATEWAY TO ORAL HISTORY	27	(58)
Oral History: How and Why It was Born	29	(10)
Allan Nevins
Oral History	39	(23)
Louis Starr
Directions for Oral History in the United States	62	(23)
Ronald J. Grele
PART TWO INTERPRETING AND DESIGNING ORAL HISTORY	85	(88)
Reliability and Validity in Oral History	87	(7)
Alice Hoffman
Distinguishing the Significant from the Insignificant	94	(5)
Barbara Tuchman
Accuracy in Oral History Interviewing	99	(8)
William Cutler III
Oral History: An Appreciation	107	(14)
William Moss
Oral Tradition and Historical Methodology	121	(5)
Jan Vansina
A Note on Oral Tradition and Historical Evidence	126	(9)
Ruth Finnegan
Oral History Project Design	135	(8)
David Lance
Introduction to Tom Rivers	143	(7)
Saul Benison
Theory, Method, and Oral History	150	(11)
Peter Friedlander
Reflections on Ethics	161	(12)
Amelia Fry
PART THREE ORAL HISTORY APPLIED: LOCAL, ETHNIC, FAMILY, AND WOMEN'S HISTORY	173	(108)
Preface to The Saga of Coe Ridge	175	(12)
Lynwood Montell
The Folklorist, the Oral Historian, and Local History	187	(12)
Larry Danielson
Oral History and the Writing of Ethnic History	199	(16)
Gray Y. Okihiro
What's So Special About Women? Women's Oral History	215	(16)
Sherna Gluck
Using Oral History for a Family History Project	231	(10)
Linda Shopes
The Search for Generational Memory	241	(16)
Tamara Hareven
Black History, Oral History, and Genealogy	257	(24)
Alex Haley
PART FOUR ORAL HISTORY AND RELATED DISCIPLINES: FOLKLORE, ANTHROPOLOGY, MEDIA, AND LIBRARIANSHIP	281	(60)
The Oral Historian and the Folklorist	283	(9)
Richard Dorson
Oral History as Communicative Event	292	(6)
Charles Joyner
The Anthropological Interview and the Life History	298	(8)
Sidney Mintz
Radio and the Public Use of Oral History	306	(15)
DAvid K. Dunaway
The Expanding Role of the Librarian in Oral History	321	(20)
Willa K. Baum
PART FIVE ORAL HISTORY AND REGIONAL STUDIES	341	(84)
Oral History in Mexico and the Caribbean	343	(8)
Eugenia Meyer
The Development of Oral History in Britain	351	(12)
Paul Thompson
Oral History in Germany	363	(17)
Karin Hartewig
Oral History in France	380	(11)
Daniele Voldman
Oral History in Italy	391	(26)
Alessandro Portelli
Oral History in Latin America	417	(8)
Dora Schwarzstein
Index	425	(7)
About the Editors	432