 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
*The Review of Doing Oral History
Doing Oral History.
By Donald A. Ritchie.(New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995. 265pp. $15.95, ISBN 0-8057-9128-0.)
This book has a most conspicuous character which is its question-and
answer format. Because author is an oral historian. He had conducted an archival
oral history program for the U.S. Senate Historical Office, and was a past president
of the Oral History Association with twenty years of experience as an oral history
interviewer and as a leader of oral history workshops around the nation. So
he know the questions that will happen in the oral history process. The question-and-answer
format is very useful to novice. The novice can see the procedure of the whole
oral history, from the open-ended(¡°What is oral history£¿¡±)to the paticular(¡°Should
transcripts reproduce accents and dialects?¡±). Of course veterans also can
benefit from it. Because these questions are also encountered by them. I admire
the author¡¯s condescension. He was not going to tell us something, but be to
explore these questions with discussion tone all the time.
The main content of this book is to introduce the operation means
of an oral history project. It offers clear, practical, and detailed advice
on such issues as obtaining fundding, equipment, staffing; conducting interview;
videotaping; publishing; preserving material; teaching oral history; therapeutic
uses of oral history; radio, computer, interactive video and oral history. Mr
Donald based on his experience and rendered the practical advice and standpoint
on these questions. So his answers is very appropiate.
Doing Oral History is an authoritative work in the oral history
field. The author know the status of oral history development in the world.
Because he had ever coordinates the efforts of the Oral History Association
(OHA) to revise and improve its professional code of principles and standards
and its evaluation guidelines ( The new Principles and Standards of the Oral
History Association is printed in the appendix1 of this book). Also he served
as editor of the Twayne Oral History Series, and contacts with the many state,
regional, national, and international oral history associations have given him
opportunities to view the new research directions and creative diversity of
oral history field.
The author offer some advice on oral history theory such as¡°Memory
and Oral History¡±. This question is a biggest problem in the oral history theory.
Because it will directly affect the oral history¡¯s truth. But this problem
has not resolved by the oral historians. Mr Donald emumerate some opinions of
archivists, folklorists, anthropologists, gerontologists. I think it need the
development of philosophy. Because it¡¯s role is to resolve the ontology. I
have some pities that author lack the discussion of this portion.
Of course, we can¡¯t regard this book as a doctrine. Because there
is no uniform way of doing oral history. After all, in a sense oral history
is an operation way. It needs practice and absorbs the experience in. SO not
every oral historian will agree with every point made in this book.
This book is used to the historians, archivists, anthropoloists,
linguists, educators, gerotologist, folklorists, librarians, journalists. It
is a major contribution to the study of oral history in the world.
Yang
Xiangyin
Department
of History, Jilin University
P.R.China
Page maintained by:Yang Xiangyin
Last updated:November,1,2001