Oral History Altered Book
What is oral history?
Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. In oral history projects, an interviewee recalls an event for an interviewer who records the recollections and creates a historical record. Oral history depends upon human memory and the spoken word. The means of collection can vary from taking notes by hand to elaborate electronic aural and video recordings.
Why is oral history important?
We all have stories to tell, stories we have lived from the inside out. We give our experiences an order. We organize the memories of our lives into stories. Oral history listens to these stories. Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. Historians have finally recognized that the everyday memories of everyday people, not just the rich and famous, have historical importance. If we do not collect and preserve those memories, those stories, then one day they will disappear forever.
The Research Phase:
∗ You will choose a person to interview. This person should be at least a generation older than you. It should be someone you know, but does not have to be a family member.
∗ You will develop a set of 15 open-ended questions. An open-ended question is a question that cannot be answered with a single answer or a yes or no. Open-ended questions are designed to evoke conversation and discussion.
∗ You will conduct the interview. You may choose how you record this interview. It could be recorded on video or audio equipment, or you could simply take notes.
The Making Phase:
∗ You will bring to class a book that can be physically altered. My suggestion is that you look at dollar stores, thrift shops, yard sales, garages sales etc. The idea is that you should not need to spend more than a dollar on the book.
∗ Consider what book you select. How big is it? What are the contents? Can the contents relate in some way to the person I interviewed? Is it hard cover or paperback? What shape is it?
∗ You will collect mixed media ephemera that can help to alter the book. Consider newspaper articles of the time, scraps of old fabric, photos of the person interviewed, maps, postcards, etc. It can be ANYTHING that relates to the subject of your interview.
∗ We will bring these materials together with materials from class to reconstruct the book into a visual and written history.
