Our alums continue to demonstrate oral history’s ability to enhance work in diverse fields. Check out these Fall 2015 updates on what some of them are up to.
Read MoreThe Personal is Political
Kate Brenner is a current OHMA student. In this post, she reflects on the political nature of oral history.
Read MoreSubversion: One of the Points of Oral History?
Jonathon Fairhead recounts a discussion between Professor Alessandro Portelli and students in the Columbia University Oral History Masters Program, 4 April, 2015. Watch the full lecture on YouTube.
Read MorePicture This: Ron Doel on the Importance of Looking Closely at the History of Science
Erica Zora Wrightson is a current OHMA student. In this post, she discusses Ron Doel's multidisciplinary approach to studying tensions in the documentation of the history of science.
Read MoreSnapshots of Change: Voices From Photography’s Recent Past
Catherine Kirkpatrick is an award-winning photographer and writer based in New York City. In this post, she shows how oral history training has informed her projects as an archivist for Professional Women Photographers.
Read MoreStories for Justice
Leyla Vural reflects on Sayantani DasGupta's workshop on narrative humility and medical listening in oral history. This talk took place on Thursday, October 16, 2014.
Read MoreOral History as Narrative Medicine
Erica Wrightson reflects on Sayantani DasGupta's workshop on narrative humility and medical listening in oral history. This talk took place on Thursday, October 16, 2014.
Read More[Workshop Reflection] Beyond the Archives: Oral History and Community Dialogue in Brooklyn
As an oral historian, I am committed to using my work to engage communities in the present. In keeping with this commitment, I would probably steer clear of institutions with names like “Brooklyn Historical Society.” However, the name Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) belies the innovation and deep level of community engagement that this institution and its projects embody.
Read MoreChanging Stories and Stories for Change: Audrey Petty’s High Rise Stories
For nearly two decades, cities across the United States, like Atlanta, New Orleans, and Chicago, have undergone urban renewal projects, removing high rise public housing to clear the way for new, multimillion dollar developments. The story of public housing in Chicago is one of the most well-known in the nation.
Read MoreBreaking the Silence, Giving Voice
It’s a sunny day in Hebron. We walk down Shuhada Street, the once-bustling main drag running through the Casbah. The street is deserted, the shops welded shut. Amid the broken windows, olive trees, and piles of debris, soldiers stand in pillboxes on the corners and run group patrols through the streets. Arab children wave down to us from their windows, unable to walk on the restricted streets below.
Read More[Workshop reflection] Breaking the Silence: From the Outside Looking In
It is rare to witness dissenting voices from within an active military. The public in the United States is encouraged to honor our soldiers but seldom to question them. It is equally as rare to hear American soldiers publicly questioning their military superiors regarding an ongoing operation. In the October 7th Oral History Workshop at Butler Library Avner Gvaryahu, a member of Breaking the Silence (BTS), presented a book of collected oral histories from soldiers doing just that; questioning the ongoing military strategy of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) as it continues to occupy the contested zones that tie Israel and Palestine together.
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