On the day of the interview, we must remember to take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- an informed consent to be signed by the narrator (Sommer & Quinlan, p. 22);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- an interview information form to the project\u2019s archive (Sommer & Quinlan, p. 68);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- the questions\u2019 list;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- the background list with important names, dates and events;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- the audio equipment (must be tested at home and<\/strong> on the site before starting the interview);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- a notebook to follow up (I don\u2019t like the idea of tablets\/computers because it is too easy to take our attention away).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When we are all ready to start, we should begin with an introduction about the practical information of the interview (date and hour, name of the interviewers and interviewee, name of the project) and the personal background questions. Then, at least for me, it is all about reading the room: it\u2019s necessary to be open to adapt the questions and the whole course of the interview, understand sensible moments or needs for a pause, or even be able to lead or step down if I see my partner struggling with an issue. We must go for the big questions with confidence, but also recognize boundaries and be respectful if the person insists that she won\u2019t talk about a specific topic; the more comfortable and heard our narrator feels regarding me and Tamar, I believe we should have more opportunities for her to reciprocate.To be an active listener, I believe it is crucial to make constant and empathetic eye contact. There\u2019s two outcomes from that: first, I portray myself as an interested and engaged interviewer even when I am not talking; secondly, it helps me to be focused on the narrator\u2019s body language too since, as the chapter about performance on Abrams book makes the case, it is equally essential to pay attention to how<\/em> things are said, the silences and the gestures. Before wrapping the interview up, we must remember to reserve time to give the narrator a space to add anything she might want to (new information, correct a misunderstanding, provide feedback).<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/elisavenzon\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_4598-844x1024.jpg\")
New York: MoMa, september 2022. Unfortunately I don’t have the reference of this intervention, but the artist asked for people around the world to create a pattern with data about their week. There were no rules, so you can see each person choose different colors, schemes and drawings. I believe it works with this week\u2019s theme, because when you look at one line or if I don\u2019t provide you the context, you won\u2019t understand it; but when you do and you see the role project, you can see people made a different sense for their week\u2019s experience. Together, things acquire a new sense (and, may I say, a beautiful art).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Bibliography<\/summary>\n
Abrams, Lynn. Oral History Theory<\/strong>. New York: Routledge, 2016, 2nd. edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sommer, Barbara; Quinlan, Mary Kay. The oral history manual<\/strong>. Lanham: Altamira Press, 2009 (2nd. edition).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n<\/details>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In preparing myself for our oral history interview, I am first concerned with being well aligned with my partner, Tamar. Most of the readings we…<\/p>\n
- a notebook to follow up (I don\u2019t like the idea of tablets\/computers because it is too easy to take our attention away).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n