Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences - Softcover

Yow, Valerie Raleigh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075910655X ISBN 13: 9780759106550

Publisher: Altamira Press, 2005

Synopsis

In this second editon of Recording Oral History, Valerie Raleigh Yow builds on the foundation of her classic text. One of the most widely used and highly regarded textbooks ever published in the field, Yow's updated edition now includes new material on using the internet, an examination of the interactions between oral history and memory processes, and analysis of testimony and the interpretation of meanings in different contexts. Written in a clear, accessible style, this new volume offers historians, social scientists and other practitioners engaged in this difficult, rewarding work a scholarly and practical guide to the methods of oral history. It will interest researchers and students in a wide variety of disciplines including history, sociology, anthropology, education, psychology, social work and ethnographic methods.

About this title

About the Author

Valerie Raleigh Yow received her M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin, and is the book review editor for the Oral History Review. She has been Associate Director of the State Oral History Project in Rhode island, a member of the history department at the University of Rhode island, and a faculty member at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. She has served as a consultant on numerous oral history projects and delivered papers at annual conferences of the Oral History Association and the American Association for the History of Medicine. She is an independent scholar living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she researches and writes histories and conducts a private practice in psychotherapy.

Review

Recording Oral History, Second Edition is wonderful—it's like being with Valerie Yow in person and sharing her experiences of three decades of oral history interviewing. The book analyzes what happens when two human beings sit down together with a recorder, with all the wonder and messiness inherent in the oral history process. Yow thoroughly explains best practices in conducting interviews that are both of high technical quality and the highest ethical standards. Old and new readers alike will benefit from the added sections on memory, narrative, and interpretation. (Sharpless, Rebecca)

How nice—and how rare—it is when a favorite text undergoes revision and comes out even better! Yow (book review editor, Oral History Review, and independent scholar) has once again hit the jackpot with her second edition of Recording Oral History (1994). . . This is a must own book for anyone, novice or expert, who engages or wants to engage in oral history research. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. (Choice)

Minor cosmetic changes, substantial renovations, and the two new wings add considerable value to this already invaluable, popular guide. Other excellent oral history manuals are available, but this one is the most comprehensive. It also is accessible, entertaining, and sensible. (Michael A. Gordon)

...Yow's book provides an exceedingly valuable resource for historians, students, teachers, and others interested in recording and using interviews as a means to learn about the past. Recording Oral History is the kind of manual that researchers will want to return to repeatedly for advice and inspiration. (Journal Of The Illinois State Historical Society)

Valerie Yow's Recording Oral History, Second Edition is an excellent guide for both the established oral historian and the student. Yow's discussions of issues such as ethics and legalities, varieties of oral history projects, and aspects of interpretation are succinct, graceful, and intelligent. I recommend it for all practitioners! (Rogers, Kim Lacy)

Edition details

• Publisher: Altamira Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 075910655X
• ISBN 13: 9780759106550
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 416