Oral History for Social Change
Groundswell is a dynamic network of oral historians, activists, cultural workers, community organizers, and documentary artists.
Oral historians and other storytellers focusing on feminism and gender justice come together to talk about our work and ways in which we can learn from each other. In this talk, you can share your experiences on working with narratives to advance feminism and strategize with colleagues on best practices.
Read MoreHow do you build anti-oppression principles into your project from its inception onward? In this PSN chat we will be discussing the design phase of oral history projects and sharing our thoughts and experiences on how anti-oppression can be built into project proposals.
Read MoreAs oral historians continue to develop their collective audio editing skills and editing audio at the request of a narrator has become feasible for many, an issue has arisen for which there seems to be no standard in the field. Should we show where an interviewee has edited a transcript or audio tape? If so, how? If not, why not?
Read MoreWhat does it mean to approach the pre-interview process from an anti-oppression framework? in this chat, we’ll dig deep into the heart of “informed consent”, looking at the kinds of conversations that narrators, interviewers and other oral history project participants/stakeholders might have with each other before an interview takes place.
Read MoreIn this PSN video chat, we will reflect on how the (real and/or perceived) identities of narrators and interviewers can impact and play out in the interview space. We'll explore how OH interviewers can offer narrators a safe space to define and interpret oppression in their daily life or in their activism...
Read MoreIn this PSN video chat, we will bring together activists, artists, geographers, academics and oral historians to share and brainstorm strategies for using oral history for housing justice, with a particular focus on how oral history can be used in the context of gentrification to build understanding and support resistance.
Read MoreIn this chat, we will bring together activists, artists, academics and oral historians to share and brainstorm strategies for using oral history for migrant justice. We’ll explore challenges that may arise (e.g. interpretation/translation, publicness and immigration status, access to detention centers, cross-border dimensions) and consider...
Read MoreDon't reinvent the wheel. If we don't know our history, we're condemned to repeat it. History is a weapon of the oppressed. Part of the promise of oral history for organizers, activists and movement leaders is to help us learn from the success and mistakes of our movement elders. But how does that happen?
Read MoreThis recent article from In These Times features Groundswell and the social justice oral history projects of several Groundswell members!
Read MoreThe notion of ongoing consent: allyship is meant to be a process without a specific endpoint. Just as our “ally” card expires at the end of the day, so, too, does that informed consent form expire at the end of that phase or segment of the oral history project...
Read MoreIn what ways has the Belfast case made you examine your own work? Are there certain things we should not be recording at all? There are terrible political implications of not recording… then there is the option of telling people the risks, how it could be used, how we don’t have control
Read MoreBasic premise: narrators who come from and share stories of communities who have been historically oppressed and marginalized have the right to decide how, with whom, and towards what ends their stories are shared and retold.
Read MoreOral historians gathered in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend not just for the famous cheese and beer, but because Madison has deep roots in social activism and grassroots movements.
Read MoreHello Groundswell community! My name is Sarah Hollingsworth, a recent graduate of California State University Monterey Bay and a new blog coordinator for Groundswell. I now attend Columbia University’s Oral History Master of Arts program. My experience with oral history runs deep into the Salinas Valley, where I conducted oral history interviews with the unique homeless population that camps and lives in Chinatown. If you would like to hear more about my project, Oral Histories of Chinatown: Embracing the Street, come join me and other oral history practitioners at The Oral History Association’s annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin from October 8-12.
Groundswell is now a part of my story. Whether highlighting the perils of economic inequality or re-writing a history that has been erased, whatever the social justice controversy may be: Groundswell supports creating space for the oral history interview to encourage social change. My hope it to develop the blog as a way to share the ideas, strategies and stories of practitioners using oral history to support social justice.
I believe in oral history and in the power of the interview to uncover the nuances of inequality and discrimination hidden in our society. I hope that the blog will bring interested individuals and communities together to talk about how people are using the oral history interview for social change and to look at the often unique and unconventional methods and strategies used by this growing community.
To complete my first blog post I want to share my experience participating in the first session of the Anti-Oppression PSN (practitioner support network) chat series that took off in September. A group of about 8 practitioners discussed oral history projects taking place throughout the nation. We engaged in dialogue about anti-oppression principles that should guide our work as we make decisions about how to use and apply oral history interviews. Please join the next PSN on Friday, October 24th! Registration details can be found on the Groundswell website. The Practitioner Support Network is dedicated to creating space to meet, discuss important issues and share ideas related to our work. Please join this next PSN and see what others in the Groundswell community are doing!
I welcome you stay tuned each Monday for our next blog installment, please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions and feedback!
Sarah
Oral history is most often seen as a practice that takes place between one interviewer and one narrator, in an exchange that prioritizes an individual's personal story and experiences. What impact does this highly individual nature of oral history have in doing social movement and community-oriented oral history projects? Might it reinforce an overly-individualistic view of history and movements? When should we let go of the one-on-one interview?
Read MoreWhat can oral historians learn from the Belfast Oral History Project case?
Sinn Fein Protest, Downpatrick, against shooting death of PIRA man Colm Marks by the RUC, 1990s. Bobbie Hanvey, photographer. Image bh011750, Bobbie Hanvey Photographic Archives, John J. Burns Library, Boston College. This image is part of a series of images found at: hdl.handle.net/2345/1926
Friday, October 24th, 2014
1:00 - 2:15 PM EST
There is a max of 8 spots available for this PSN Video Chat. To participate, register via EventBrite using the button below. We ask participants to make a sliding scale donation of $3-$10 to reserve your spot. Groundswell members participate for free. Click here to join Groundswell and get your PSN "promo" code.
Co-Facilitators: Maggie Lemere, Zoë West, Cindy Choung
A broad discussion about the Belfast Oral History Project. Questions we hope to explore in the chat include: How can we ensure protection to narrators when our promises of confidentiality are jeopardized by unchecked government surveillance and the threat of subpoenas? What are some practical measures we can take about confidentiality, both as individuals and as a community of oral historians? What does the Belfast case say to the public about oral history? Could the Belfast case make oral historians overly cautious? Should there be a distinct line between oral history and journalism? If so, where is that line and how does it influence the rights and obligations of the interviewee and the interviewer? What are the ethical responsibilities expected of oral historians when it comes to crimes revealed by interviewees? What are the implications of the Belfast case for doing oral history with activists and communities who engage in civil disobedience, direct action and/or armed resistance? How can the Belfast situation be turned into a positive for the oral history community?
A new generation of Cascadia Forest Defenders blockades the Elliot State Forest in 2009, drawing on a history of blockades and direct action in Oregon's forests since the early 90's.
How can we engage oral history to help today's activists learn from our movement past?
Thursday, November 20th
12:00 - 1:15pm EST
There is a max of 8 spots available for this Video Chat. To participate, register via EventBrite using the button below. We ask participants to make a sliding scale donation of $3-$10 to reserve your spot. Groundswell members participate for free. Click here to join Groundswell and get your PSN "promo" code.
Co-Facilitators:
Don't reinvent the wheel. If we don't know our history, we're condemned to repeat it. History is a weapon of the oppressed. Part of the promise of oral history for organizers, activists and movement leaders is to help us learn from the success and mistakes of our movement elders. But how does that happen?
What questions can we ask to draw out the knowledge and lessons that will be useful to us today? How can we solicit the perspectives of 'others' or outsiders in ways that are useful or that offer critical insights on movement building and tactics? What are the best formats for sharing interviews with activists in order to facilitate critical reflection and generate strategic conversation about the present and future of our work? How can we learn from the past while also recognizing the unique and changing context of our present and future? In doing this work, how do we balance our roles as activists and researchers?
In this chat, we'll draw on the experiences of call facilitators and participants to explore the utility - and challenges - of using oral history to "learn from our past."
Indicating Editing
Wednesday, December 10th
1:00 - 2:15pm EST
There is a max of 8 spots available for this PSN Video Chat. To participate, register via EventBrite using the button below. We ask participants to make a sliding scale donation of $3-$10 to reserve your spot. Groundswell members participate for free. Click here to join Groundswell and get your PSN "promo" code.
Co-Facilitators:
As oral historians continue to develop their collective audio editing skills and editing audio at the request of a narrator has become feasible for many, an issue has arisen for which there seems to be no standard in the field. Should we show where an interviewee has edited a transcript or audio tape? If so, how? If not, why not? What if they have deleted content? What if the content is only closed for a period of time? Do we treat this differently from a permanent deletion?
This question raises questions central to the field of oral history in new ways. How do we balance the privacy and authority of the narrator with the researcher’s desire to know everything possible about how the document was created? Who keeps the unedited drafts of oral history tapes and transcripts, and why? If oral history is a primary source document, what part of the complex, drawn-out, intersubjective process becomes a source, and what becomes a secret? This topic also brings up a fundamental question that is especially relevant when doing oral history with communities that have been historically marginalized and oppressed: To whom are oral historians accountable and how do we balance multiple "accountabilities"?
Letting Go of the One-On-One Interview?
Monday, September 15th
1:00 - 2:15pm EST
There is a max of 8 spots available for this Video Chat. To participate, register via EventBrite using the button below. We ask participants to make a sliding scale donation of $3-$10 to reserve your spot. Your donation will help us continue to organize and offer these chats in the future!
Co-Facilitators:
Oral history is most often seen as a practice that takes place between one interviewer and one narrator, in an exchange that prioritizes an individual's personal story and experiences. What impact does this highly individual nature of oral history have in doing social movement and community-oriented oral history projects? Might it reinforce an overly-individualistic view of history and movements? When should we let go of the one-on-one interview?
In this chat, we'll explore the utility of formats other than the one-on-one interview for doing oral history. What is the value of group or collective interviewing, especially in cultures and groups where community and the collective are highly valued, or in applied oral history projects with clear organizing or community-building goals? What are the challenges of having multiple voices in an interview space and navigating those power dynamics? What skills are needed to facilitate group interviews - and how are these different from or the same as the skills for a one-on-one interview? Finally, what collective methods do (or could) communities/groups use to share and present their multi-vocal stories?
Anti-Oppression PSN Series Chat #1: Anti-oppression after collecting your interviews
Thursday, September 18th
4:00 - 5:15pm EST
There is a max of 7 spots available for this Video Chat. To participate, register via EventBrite using the button below. We ask participants to make a sliding scale donation of $3-$10 to reserve your spot. Your donation will help us continue to organize and offer these chats in the future!
Co-facilitators
In this first chat of the Groundswell PSN Anti-Oppression series, we will use the major themes of anti-oppression organizing to explore the phase of an oral history project that comes after the interviews have been collected and organized. In asking questions about where the interviews should be archived, what should be made public, and what kinds of events and programming are most effective for revolutionary change, we will pay close attention to anti-oppression principles. This PSN is open to practitioners in all stages of a project, but we will focus our conversation on how anti-oppression principles can inform the decisions we make and products we create after interviews have already been completed.
Groundswell’s Practitioner Support Network (PSN) and Anti-Oppression working groups are teaming up this Fall 2014 to offer a 5-part “anti-oppression and oral history” PSN chat series. Each chat will look at one specific moment in the process of doing oral history and consider how an anti-oppression approach impacts our practice:
Ultimately, we aim to create a textual resource (medium to be determined) aimed at social justice oral historians. The PSN series will give us a strong sense of the kinds of questions that oral historians are asking with regards to anti-oppression work. We would like for this document to be something of a handbook for incorporating anti-oppression into the entire oral history project from start to finish.