Yow, Valerie Raleigh

Recording Oral History : A Guide For The Humanities And Social Sciences

Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1 Introduction to the In-Depth Interview 1(34) Brief History of the Use of Oral History 2(1) Definition of Oral History 3(1) Oral History: Still a New Kid on the Block 4(1) Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research: Comparisons 5(3) The In-Depth Interview as a Qualitative Research Method 8(1) Differences in Ways That Disciplines Approach the In-Depth Interview 8(1) Uses of the Recorded In-Depth Interview 9(5) The Use of Narrative as a Research Strategy 14(3) Limitations of the Recorded Life Review 17(4) Special Strengths of Oral History 21(2) Summary 23(1) Recommended Reading 23(7) Notes 30(5) Chapter 2 Oral History and Memory 35(33) Remembering, an Important Act for the Narrator 35(1) Memory-Fallible or Trustworthy? 36(1) Psychologists' General Findings about How Memory Works 37(1) Aging and Memory 38(1) Research Methods Concerning Individual Memory 39(1) Consistency of Factual Content of Long-Held Memories 40(1) Recall of Daily, Habitual Events versus the Single Episode 41(2) Consistency in Memories of Feelings 43(1) Consistency in Memories of Meanings 44(1) Moods, Emotional Needs, and Recall 45(1) Memories of Traumatic Experiences: Different from Ordinary Memories 45(2) Physical Sensation, a Spur to Remembering 47(1) Vivid Images, Recall, and False Memory 48(1) Remembering the Time 49(1) Differences in the Way Men and Women Remember 50(1) Effects of the Interviewer-Narrator Relationship on Remembering 51(1) Summary of Findings on Personal Memory 51(1) Individual Memory and Collective Memory 52(2) Under the Umbrella of Collective Memory: Official Memory and Popular Memory 54(1) Official Memory 54(1) Power of the Media to Create Popular Memory 55(2) Conclusion 57(1) Recommended Reading 58(4) Notes 62(6) Chapter 3 Preparation for the Interviewing Project 68(24) Conceptualization of the Research Project 69(2) Composing the Interview Guide 71(3) Strategies for Questioning 74(5) Kinds of Words and Phrasing to Avoid 79(1) Selecting Narrators 80(3) Contacting Narrators 83(1) Scheduling the Interview 84(1) Preparing the Equipment 84(3) Summary 87(1) Recommended Reading 88(2) Notes 90(2) Chapter 4 Interviewing Techniques 92(29) The Preliminary Meeting 92(3) Beginning the Interview 95(1) Building Rapport 96(4) Diminishing Rapport 100(2) Using Skill in Questioning 102(6) Coping with Troublesome Situations 108(6) Ending the Interview 114(2) Summary 116(1) Recommended Reading 117(1) Notes 118(3) Chapter 5 Legalities and Ethics 121(36) Legal Issues 121(8) Ethical Issues 129(19) Conclusion 148(1) Recommended Reading 149(3) Notes 152(5) Chapter 6 Interpersonal Relations in the Interview 157(31) Effects of the Interview on the Narrator 158(4) Effects of the Interview on the Interviewer 162(7) Effects of Race, Gender, Age, Class, Ethnicity, and Subculture 169(9) Effects of the Interview on People Close to the Narrator 178(1) Summary 178(1) Recommended Reading 179(4) Notes 183(5) Chapter 7 Varieties of Oral History Projects: Community Studies 188(32) Tensions in Community Studies 190(4) Informational Interviews 194(1) Composing the Interview Guide 195(3) Choice of Narrators 198(1) Involving the Community 199(1) Special Research Situations 200(4) Commissioned Research 204(2) Presentation of Findings 206(2) Looking Deeply and Critically at Your Collection of Oral Histories of a Community 208(2) The Importance of Place 210(1) Recommended Reading 210(6) Notes 216(4) Chapter 8 Varieties of Oral History Projects: Biography 220(33) Biography: Literature or History? 221(1) Why Research and Write Biography? 222(3) Difference between Life History, Life Story, Autobiography, and Biography 225(1) Why Tell This Life Story? 226(1) Setting Up Interviews, Involving the Narrator 227(1) Effect of the Narrator's Agendas and Psychology on the Interview 228(2) Effect of the Interviewer's Agenda on the Interview 230(3) The Effect of Gender on Questions and Interpretations 233(3) Interviewing Friends, Enemies, and Even the Onlookers 236(1) The Wider World in the Interview Guide for Biography 237(1) Placing the Subject in the Context of Gender, Race, Class, and Culture 238(1) Possible Ethical Implications in Biographical Research 239(2) Legal Issues Specific to Biography 241(1) Effect of the Research on Relationships within the Subject's Family 241(2) Topics and Questions to Be Included in an Interview Guide 243(1) Recommended Reading 244(4) Notes 248(5) Chapter 9 Varieties of Oral History Projects: Family Research 253(29) Finding Families for Social Science Research 255(1) Introduction of the Project to the Family 256(1) Inspiring Narrators' Interest in Participating in the Research 257(2) Research Strategies with Husband and Wife 259(1) Sensitivity to Members' Feelings versus Need to Present Evidence 259(2) Interviewing Techniques with Family Members 261(3) Use of Artifacts and Photographs in Interviewing 264(2) Family Folklore 266(2) Confronting Differences in Interpretation with the Narrator 268(1) Suggested Questions to Ask in Family History Research 269(3) Evaluation of Family Members' Oral Histories 272(1) Advantages of Studying Family History 273(1) Summary 274(1) Recommended Reading 274(5) Notes 279(3) Chapter 10 Analysis and Interpretation 282(29) Analytical Approaches across Disciplines 282(4) A Close Look at an Individual Oral History 286(13) Reflections on This Interview 299(8) Recommended Reading 307(2) Notes 309(2) Chapter 11 Conclusion of the Project 311(24) Evaluation of the Interview 311(2) Face Sheet and Information Sheet 313(1) Index to Each Tape and Master Index 313(2) Transcription 315(7) Return of the Transcript to the Narrator 322(3) Publication of Oral Histories 325(3) Citation of Oral History Interviews 328(2) Sharing Information 330(2) Recommended Reading 332(1) Notes 333(2) Appendix A: Sample Interview Guide 335(7) Appendix B: The Oral History Association's Oral History Evaluation Guidelines 342(11) Appendix C: Principles and Standards of the Oral History Association 353(5) Appendix D: Oral History Excluded from Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review 358(3) Appendix E: Model Record-Keeping Sheets 361(3) Appendix F: Legal Release Forms 364(8) Appendix G: Sample Face Sheet and Information Sheet 372(3) Appendix H: Sample Tape Index 375(2) Appendix I: Sample First Page of a Tape Collection's Master Index 377(2) Appendix J: Instructions for Indexing a Transcript Using a Computer 379(1) Appendix K: Citing the Oral Histories 380(2) Author Index 382(9) Subject Index 391(6) About the Author 397