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Columbia Oral History

Columbia Oral History

We see oral history as a critical space for conversations about the past, happening in the present, and oriented towards the future.

Home for innovative oral history projects.

We see oral history as a critical space for conversations about the past, happening in the present, and oriented towards the future.

Pedagogy

  • go to the Oral History Master of Arts project
    Oral History Master of Arts

    A one-year interdisciplinary degree training students in oral history method and theory.

  • go to the Oral History Summer Institute project
    Oral History Summer Institute

    A bi-annual meeting of oral historians, scholars, activists, and others for advanced training in the theory and practice of oral history.

  • go to the Columbia Oral History Workshops project
    Columbia Oral History Workshops

    Oral history is a powerful tool for advancing public knowledge, for organizing, for creative practice and more.

     Oral history is a powerful tool for advancing public knowledge, for organizing, for creative practice and more. As part of our mission to act as a vital hub for this ever-evolving field, we offer a range of opportunities to connect, learn, and grow your skills in oral history.

Philosophy

Our work focuses on the life history approach in order to connect biography with its larger social context. Inclusive biographies offer us insights into the full life of the person and thereby provide a glimpse into the evolution of society, as well as the individual person, in defining the context for later social and political actions.

Featured Projects

  • go to the The Elders Project project
    The Elders Project Capturing the stories of elders who have shaped America—from Civil Rights activists to tribal leaders to survivors of Stonewall—before they’re lost to history. Funded by Emerson Collective
  • go to the Obama Presidency Oral History project
    Obama Presidency Oral History

    Creating a comprehensive oral history of the Obama years with over 450 officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.

     Funded by Columbia University's Office of the President
  • go to the The NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory Project project
    The NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory Project

    Documenting New York City’s experience of the Covid-19 pandemic.

     Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the American Assembly

Upcoming events

  • go to the In My Granny’s Kitchen news
    Keeping Memory: Oral History Practices that Host Kin and Community In My Granny’s Kitchen Black Collective Memory and the Emotional Architecture of Space
  • go to the OHMA Open House news
    OHMA Open House Interested in joining OHMA? Join us for a virtual open house led by program director Amy Starecheski and alumni speaker Gloria Mogango.
  • go to the Kitchen Table Histories news
    South Bronx History Keepers Kitchen Table Histories Event #3 of the “History Keepers” programming at the Mott Haven Library (NYPL), focused on empowering our communities in the South Bronx to preserve, document, and share their stories.
  • go to the GATHERING(S) news
    Keeping Memory: Oral History Practices that Host Kin and Community GATHERING(S) Join Laurie ‘Zamí’ Germain for an intimate and experiential evening of art, listening, connection, and reflection.
Go to the Calendar

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