The Personal Politics of Doing Oral History

• In Event: Learning Through Stories: Life Story Methodologies in the Study of Higher Education

Abstract

I have been conducting oral history interviews for the past 16 years, having done roughly 400 to date. These interviews are typically focused on civil rights in the United States, the educational achievements or African Americans, or African American philanthropy. I prepare for the interviews by reading extensively and by reviewing archival materials. The interviews can only be truly helpful if they are bolstered by other sources when doing historical research. Although I have some ideas about the nature of the interview ahead of time, the majority of the time, I approach the person being interviewed in a way that lets him or her tell a personal story. I probe and lead the interviewee, hoping to uncover old memories and interesting perspectives on the history. Although my main goal is to add to the larger history that I am trying to portray, I have found that people reveal much about their personal lives during oral history interviews. They reveal their fears, mistakes, hopes, and accomplishments. For this particular symposium, I will talk about the oral history interviews that I did for a recent history of African American medical schools that I wrote. The interviews were primarily with African American men in the 70s, 80s, 90s. These men all knew each other, having lived in the Atlanta area most of their lives. Most possessed healthy, if not large, egos. And most were affiliated with Morehouse College. While doing the oral history interviews, I discovered that many of these men no longer interacted and were angry with one another. Yet, they craved reconciliation, going so far as to ask me to help them reconcile with one another. My part in the symposium will focus on the very personal nature of oral history interviews and the impact that they have on the person being interviewed as well as the interviewer.

Author

• Marybeth Gasman, University of Pennsylvania