Working Through the [E]motions and Turns in the Road

• In Event: Field Notes: Oral History in Practical Motion

Abstract

The oral history process is full of emotions from the development of the project, to conducting the interview, to follow-up activities. Going into an interview, the oral historian has no idea how it will go or what might be diverged. Turns in the road occur. The unknown can be exciting and a little scary for everyone. The narrator may remind you of someone, how do you manage your emotions then? After an interview do you feel an urgent need to share what was shared with you? Debriefing is an important activity. Unexpected emotions may arise during the editing of a transcript you did not conduct. How do you respond? How do you detach from a narrator where a connection has formed? When you learn a narrator’s passing, what do you do? Come and let’s talk about [e]motions in motion!

Author

• Tanya D Finchum, Oklahoma State University