A History of Oral History: Episode Two

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Oral history and tradition have been around since humanity started to tell stories. The Iliad and Odyssey were passed down orally for many centuries before Homer (or someone else, depending on which side of the “Homer question” you’re on) actually wrote them down. However, scholars only began to see oral history’s validity and potential in the 1930s. In this piece, I will highlight some of the key moments in the life of Oral History as an academic field — with particular focus on the Western and American academy. - Eleonora Anedda

IDCL Named ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Host Organization

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The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life is pleased to announce that we have been selected by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) as a host organization for a Leading Edge Fellowship, which demonstrates the potential of humanistic knowledge and methods to solve problems, build capacity, and advance justice and equity in society. Leading … Continue reading IDCL Named ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Host Organization

A Short Introduction to Oral History: Episode One

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This is the first piece of a series on the many dimensions of oral history. Here we briefly introduce oral history as a methodology and we address critics’ concern over the reliability of oral history sources. In the next episodes of this series, we are going to talk about the history of this field and how it came to be what it is today; interviewing, ethics and best practices; transcribing; archiving and curating oral histories in digital archives; and lastly, IDCL’s lived religion approach and method for the Religions Texas Oral History Project. - Eleonora Anedda

Migration Narratives Project Call for Proposals

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The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life’s Migration Narratives Project is a rapid-response grant-making program to fund the work of scholars, activists and artists who are exploring the stories of immigrants and refugees in Texas through narrative, oral history and other interpretive storytelling methods. We're pleased to invite proposals for this program. A full CFP … Continue reading Migration Narratives Project Call for Proposals

We’re Hiring!

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The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life is seeking a Program Coordinator for Religions Texas, an oral history initiative to explore encounters with religious difference and record and preserve stories of religious and cultural diversity in Texas. Primary responsibilities include conducting and processing oral history interviews, developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with narrators, stakeholders and … Continue reading We’re Hiring!

IDCL Awarded New Grant from the Luce Foundation

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The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant for $250,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the Migration Narratives Project, a rapid-response grantmaking program to fund the work of scholars, activists and artists who are exploring the stories of immigrants and refugees in Texas … Continue reading IDCL Awarded New Grant from the Luce Foundation

Share Your Story!

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IDCL is conducting an oral history project to gather stories about everyday life during the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to hear about your story-- the struggles, the comforts, the challenges, and the meaning you've found in these times. We'll conduct and record interviews via Zoom and they will become part of IDCL's Religions Texas initiative archive … Continue reading Share Your Story!