Handbook of Oral History

In recent decades, oral history has matured into an established field of critical importance to historians and social scientists alike. Handbook of Oral History captures the current state-of-the-art, identifies major strands of intellectual development, and predicts key directions for future growth in theory, research, and application.

Originally intending to produce the first comprehensive scholarly reference guide to the antecedents, practices, and theory of oral history, the editors have gone even further, creating a highly readable and useful tool for scholars, students, and the general public. Covering the vast scope of this increasingly popular field, the eminent contributors discuss almost every aspect of a field that once was the province of historians but now has become increasingly democratized and available across numerous disciplines.

Chapter 1 Introduction: Looking for Vade Mecum
Part 2 I. Foundations
Chapter 3 1. The History of Oral History
Chapter 4 2. Oral History as Evidence
Part 5 II. Methodology
Chapter 6 3. Research Design and Strategies
Chapter 7 4. Legal and Ethical Issues in Oral History
Chapter 8 5. Oral History Interviews: From Inception to Closure
Chapter 9 6. Oral History and Archives: Documenting Context
Chapter 10 7. The Uneasy Page: Transcribing and Editing Oral History
Part 11 III. Theories
Chapter 12 8. Memory Theory: Personal and Social
Chapter 13 9. Aging, the Life Course, and Oral History: African American Narratives of Struggle, Social Change, and Decline
Chapter 14 10. A Conversation Analytic Approach to Oral History Interviewing
Chapter 15 11. Women's Oral History: Is It So Special?
Chapter 16 12. Narrative Theory
Part 17 IV. Applications
Chapter 18 13. Publishing Oral History: Oral Exchange and Print Culture
Chapter 19 14. Biography and Oral History
Chapter 20 15. Fractious Action: Oral History-Based Performance
Chapter 21 16. Oral History in Sound and Moving Image Documentaries