Stephen M. Sloan – författare

As uncontrolled development forces crises in the natural world, deeply ingrained human connections with the earth are changing. Oral history's proven ability to explore issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality make it a uniquely effective methodology for bringing in new perspectives to our understanding of environments. This book brings together interviews with a global range of activists, farmers, water system managers, victims of catastrophe, tribal trustees, wilderness rangers, reindeer herders, and foresters, among others whose life experience gives them special insights into human-environmental interaction and adaption. Commentary by oral historians examines how these stories can be used to better understand our relationship with the natural world. Oral History and the Environment takes what could seem broad and impersonal forces such as climate change and environmentalismLand crystalizes their meaning through personal stories. It overturns narrow historical frameworks bounded artificially by national borders and instead portrays the issues facing our common ecosystems.

As uncontrolled development forces crises in the natural world, deeply ingrained human connections with the earth are changing. Oral history's proven ability to explore issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality make it a uniquely effective methodology for bringing in new perspectives to our understanding of environments.This book brings together interviews with a global range of activists, farmers, water system managers, victims of catastrophe, tribal trustees, wilderness rangers, reindeer herders, and foresters, among others whose life experience gives them special insights into human-environmental interaction and adaption. Commentary by oral historians examines how these stories can be used to better understand our relationship with the natural world. Oral History and the Environment takes what could seem broad and impersonal forces such as climate change and environmentalismDLand crystalizes their meaning through personal stories. It overturns narrow historical frameworks bounded artificially by national borders and instead portrays the issues facing our common ecosystems.

From the headlines of local newspapers to the coverage of major media outlets, scenes of war, natural disaster, political revolution and ethnic repression greet readers and viewers at every turn. What we often fail to grasp, however, despite numerous treatments of events is the deep meaning and broader significance of crisis and disaster. The complexity and texture of these situations are most evident in the broader personal stories of those whom the events impact most intimately. Oral history, with its focus on listening and collaborative creation with participants, has emerged as a forceful approach to exploring the human experience of crisis.Despite the recent growth of crisis oral history fieldwork, there has been little formal discussion of the process and meaning of utilizing oral history in these environments. Oral history research takes on special dimensions when working in highly charged situations often in close proximity to traumatic events. The emergent inclination for oral historians to respond to document crisis calls for a shared conversation among scholars as to what we have learned from crisis work so far. This dialogue, at the heart of this collection of oral history excerpts and essays, reveals new layers of the work of the oral historian. From the perspective of crisis and disaster oral history, the book addresses both the ways in which we think about the craft of oral hsitory, and the manner in which we use it.The book presents excerpts from oral histories done after twelve world crises, followed by critical analyses by the interviewers. Additional analytical chapters set the interviews in the contexts of pyschoanalysis and oral history methodology.

From the headlines of local newspapers to the coverage of major media outlets, scenes of war, natural disaster, political revolution and ethnic repression greet readers and viewers at every turn. What we often fail to grasp, however, despite numerous treatments of events is the deep meaning and broader significance of crisis and disaster. The complexity and texture of these situations are most evident in the broader personal stories of those whom the events impact most intimately. Oral history, with its focus on listening and collaborative creation with participants, has emerged as a forceful approach to exploring the human experience of crisis.Despite the recent growth of crisis oral history fieldwork, there has been little formal discussion of the process and meaning of utilizing oral history in these environments. Oral history research takes on special dimensions when working in highly charged situations often in close proximity to traumatic events. The emergent inclination for oral historians to respond to document crisis calls for a shared conversation among scholars as to what we have learned from crisis work so far. This dialogue, at the heart of this collection of oral history excerpts and essays, reveals new layers of the work of the oral historian. From the perspective of crisis and disaster oral history, the book addresses both the ways in which we think about the craft of oral hsitory, and the manner in which we use it.The book presents excerpts from oral histories done after twelve world crises, followed by critical analyses by the interviewers. Additional analytical chapters set the interviews in the contexts of pyschoanalysis and oral history methodology.

Oral History at a Distance is the first publication to explore both the ideas behind and application of oral history in remote projects.Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from a distance is now an ongoing and necessary approach in the oral historian’s toolkit. In this volume, the experienced team members of Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History provide a road map for adapting traditional best practices and procedures to this new environment while maintaining the standards oral historians hold dear. The authors present chapters on the range of oral history practice—project design, ethical considerations, project management, interviewing, technology, and preservation. While this book is always concerned with how to do remote oral history well, it also examines the changed dynamics and new considerations of moving from face-to-face projects to distance work. In this, the authors are joined by an international host of practitioners who have had their own experiences with oral history at a distance and share their insights from their work through informative case studies.As the practice of oral history moves into a new era, this book is an essential resource for oral historians—whether they are just starting out or wanting to stay innovative in their endeavors.

Oral History at a Distance is the first publication to explore both the ideas behind and application of oral history in remote projects.Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from a distance is now an ongoing and necessary approach in the oral historian’s toolkit. In this volume, the experienced team members of Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History provide a road map for adapting traditional best practices and procedures to this new environment while maintaining the standards oral historians hold dear. The authors present chapters on the range of oral history practice—project design, ethical considerations, project management, interviewing, technology, and preservation. While this book is always concerned with how to do remote oral history well, it also examines the changed dynamics and new considerations of moving from face-to-face projects to distance work. In this, the authors are joined by an international host of practitioners who have had their own experiences with oral history at a distance and share their insights from their work through informative case studies.As the practice of oral history moves into a new era, this book is an essential resource for oral historians—whether they are just starting out or wanting to stay innovative in their endeavors.