U.S. occupation forces landing in Japan at the end of World War II immediately needed staff who could communicate with the defeated Japanese. Japanese American soldiers formed the core of the translation and interpretation service, putting them in the often awkward position of being conquerors who shared a heritage with the enemy. One of the most common questions they were asked by the Japanese was: “What is democracy?” Read full story here.
Author: ohadmin
Americans Preserve their Veterans’ Stories
Encouraged by a Library of Congress initiative, volunteers and non-profit groups around the country are recording and preserving veterans’ voices. Read and listen to full story here.
Oral history competition for schoolchildren
“Eastern Shore Public Library will host the 2019 Frances Bibbins Latimer Oral History Contest. All Eastern Shore of Virginia middle and high school students are invited to video or audio record an interview with someone fifty years of age or older. The fifteen to twenty minute interviews will cover the life of the person during their younger years. ” This is a great example of having teenagers engaging with older people and recording their stories. See full story here.
Oral histories in theatre
Luis Carlos Sotelo Castro, associate professor in Concordia’s Department of Theatre, transforms lives by turning the act of listening into a performance. Now, the Canada Research Chair in Oral History Performance is getting set to launch his new Acts of Listening Lab at the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling. An innovative approach, see full story here.
Irish Independence
“Still a teenager when he started collecting people’s stories, Tomás Mac Conmara’s new book The Time of the Tans is backboned by many years of work.” For full story click here.
Retirement Village Oral Histories
“Condensing more than 100 years of history into 23 minutes is no easy task. But that’s what Phil Audibert is doing as he works with Dogwood Village to capture the life stories of some of its residents for “Memories: An Oral History Project.” For full story (with video trailer at bottom of article) click here.
Australian Memory of the World
The State Library of Western Australia’s oral history collection of Migration Voices will be added to UNESCO’s Australian Memory of the World national register. For full story, including link to Australian Memory of the World Program click here.
Memory Man
The “Memory Man”, Rob Mitchell is going on tour. He is a great oral historian using his memory box to trigger memories for senior citizens. Everyone should get a copy of his excellent book. There’s a link to his website in the article which you can read here.
British Entertainment Industry OH Website
Just over three decades ago, delegates at the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians expressed concern that their colleagues’ experience, memories and insight was disappearing as they retired. As a result, they decided to form a history project to ensure those voices would continue to speak for generations to come. Read story and find website link here.
American Dust Bowl
Read the story and watch video about the dust bowl that affected farmers during the American Depression. There’s a link to an oral history about it and information about a book. Click here for more.