Thinking about Oral History

Thomas L. Charlton is Professor of History at Baylor University. He is Director of The Texas Collection library/archival center and author of Oral History for Texans (1981, 1985). Rebecca Sharpless is assistant professor in the Department of History at Texas Christian University. Lois E. Myers is Associate Director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University.

• Chapter 1 IntroductionPart 2 I. TheoriesChapter 3 1. The History of Oral HistoryChapter 4 2. Memory Theory: Personal and SocialChapter 5 3. Aging, the Life Course, and Oral History: African American Narratives of Struggle, Social Change, and DeclineChapter 6 4. A Conversation Analytic Approach to Oral History InterviewingChapter 7 5. Women's Oral History: Is It So Special?Chapter 8 6. Narrative TheoryPart 9 II. ApplicationsChapter 10 7. Publishing Oral History: Oral Exchange and Print CultureChapter 11 8. Biography and Oral HistoryChapter 12 9. Fractious Action: Oral History-Based PerformanceChapter 13 10. Oral History in Sound and Moving Image Documentaries

This handbook brings together some of the ablest oral historians to offer thoughtful, thorough, and timely assessments of their field. It belongs on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in the theory and practice of oral history.