Hello! My name is Eva McNabb, and I am the spring intern here at IDCL. Today’s blog post is dedicated to showcasing the Religions Texas Archive and specifically the Muslim Voices collection. I had the opportunity to speak with some of IDCL’s staff members about the process of interviewing, transcribing, and curating the collection, and … Continue reading An Inside Look at the Religions Texas Archive: Muslim Voices Collection
Inspired by the Institute of Diversity and Civic Life (IDCL)’s work, Eleonora Anedda explores IDCL’s approach to its oral history transcripts, and how their method presents a way to navigate the challenges of preserving the relationship between the narrator and the transcript.
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
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
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
In light of the challenges many Texans have faced in the past week, we've extended the deadline for Migration Narratives Project grant proposals by one week to March 8. You can view the CFP and online application form at https://diversityandciviclife.org/programs/migration-narratives-project/.
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
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!
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
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!
Institute for Diversity and Civic Life 