Effects of the Interview: on Narrator
Often in society these individuals and people/groups are devalued: list_______.
women, elderly, political dissidents, working-class people, minorities.
To circumvent indulging in "slash and burn agriculture" the interviewer should avoid intervention on the narrator's life by learning the difference between information & _______.
See (Unintended Consequences) political party - run for mayor eg. overstepping boundaries as a researcher.
advice.
Factors at play that impinge on oral history interview. Hint: race,...
Race, cultural norms, gender, sexual attraction, social class, age, ethnicity,
In the traditional training of a social scientist, the interviewer should be an _______ observer.
impartial observer.
"interviews are fluid encounters where balances shift" interviewers and narrators are all vulnerable."
True or False
recommended reading Cotteril, Pamela. "Interviewing Women: Issues of Friendship, Vulnerability and Power"
Judith Modell explains in describing events & struggles the _________ is an active creator of his surroundings each time he puts thoughts into words.
Narrator
In their research, psychologist H.M. Leet Pellegrini explores the nuanced relationship between gender and expertise, focusing on how conversation styles differ between men and women. Pellegrini highlights women prioritize establishing connections through conversation - whereas men emphasize providing information as a means of asserting authority. explain dynamic
women w/ expertise avoided responding in dominant ways. Collaborative, supportive, name of the game "Have I been sufficiently helpful?"
name of the man's game was "solve the problem" but men, controlled expression of feeling, asking male narrator on feelings = seeking vulnerability
Thomas Cottle notes "in the interviewing process we watch ourselves as much as we watch the narrators."
what suggestions does he mention to note your observations.
personal journal.
reflect on entries of narrator notations, personal observation & details remembered.
Hint: Sociologist Arlene Daniels
self-serving nature
Considering the diverse aspects involved in conducting an oral history interview, how do you anticipate your ethnic background or identity will shape your approach to the interview process?
personalized student reflection.
The British Oral Historian who stated, "Oral History offers the possibility of both affirming & destabilizing a personal narrative."
Wendy Rickard
Even when the gender of the interviewer and interviewee align, other subcultural facets, such as social class, can significantly influence the dynamics of the interview. give examples listed in chapter
eg. spectrum of meanings behind words dependent on the influence of generational narratives (age).
examine habitual ethnic assumptions that the interviewer or narrator identifies with. critique. stylistic language reference. be wary not to assume characteristics of cultural norms.
there are subtle feelings at play, in the back of our minds about the narrator. Coupled with our self-concept which may affect how we feel about them. These are _________ ideas.
hint: * notion.
preconceived ideas/notions.
Researcher Jane Ribbens notes: that when distinguishing a research relationship there are subtle distinctions between responding with care and concern & the interviewee's more general experience that listening is ______.
personalized statement.
In navigating a productive interview employing certain tactics reinforces the narrator's esteem.
hint: noncritical listening ect.,
validation, encouragement, noncritical listening, reflective listening, respectful questioning, empathy, zero judgment
The Work Progress Administration (WPA) conducted interviews with formerly enslaved individuals in Southern states as part of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) during the 1930s. The interviews provided valuable firsthand accounts of life under slavery. While specific power dynamics based on race and gender varied among individuals and regions, some common themes emerged from these interviews:
Pervasive White supremacy, racial hierarchy, patriarchal society, sexual exploitation, forced labor, economic dependence, legal discrimination, and social control.
all represent the oppression and resistance in the American South.
Counter-transference is a reaction felt by the interviewer as a result of emotional dynamics illustrated by the narrator, akin to a "mirror effect," which can create a complex for the interviewer.
List examples of how this can happen:
glances, body language, tone, evoking dormant memories by unconscious or conscious actions/words, appearance or dress, gender ect.
see (subtle feelings in the back of one's mind)
Tamer El-Or ethnographer concluded she could not comply with all the requests of the narrator: after a two-year period interview with a Hasidic Israeli woman due to the observation "we can't be friends because she was my _______."
"we can't be friends because she was my object and we both knew it."
By playing jeopardy in this week's class I absorbed the material and participated with my colleagues in an exciting game.
True or False
up to you to decide.
In the situations discussed (Anne Oakley research project: transition to motherhood) (Theodore Rosengarten - Ned Cobb: witness of southern tenant farmers)
the assumption is that the interviewer can communicate the (3) following to the narrator:
1. You have something to say that I think is important.
2. I listen and accept that your version of the story is true for you.
3. I seek to understand rather than judge.
Sensitivity and respect create a conducive climate for a productive interview when consideration of: gender, age, class, race, status, ethnicity, subculture, power dynamics, body language ect., may impinge on the situation to overcome indifference in formal interviews. By addressing these considerations, interviewers can create an environment where participants feel valued, respected, and motivated to engage meaningfully.
Approaching interviews with this level of awareness and mindfulness, interviewers can unravel the complexities of human interaction and gain insights that might otherwise remain obscured. This not only enhances the quality of the interview process but also promotes authentic dialogue between interviewer and interviewee.
Roper highlights that journaling your feelings during an interview can reveal inner anxieties. To better understand the dynamics at play, consider asking yourself the following questions:
hint: they are listed in Reflecting on the Interview Dynamics
What am I feeling about this narrator? - What similarities and differences impinge on this interpersonal situation? - How does my ideology affect this process? - What group outside of this process am I identifying with? - Why am I doing this project? - What alternative questions might I have asked? - What other interpretations are there? Why did I reject them?
A biographer has a unique situation: they become a member of the family, rather than simply an interpreter of a family's life.
True or false.
false.
While the relationship is strange because it is close yet distant. The biographer does NOT become a member of the family, rather they ARE an interpreter of their lives.
Ethnographer Lisa Tillmann Healy states a part of her fieldwork is friendship. State what differentiates a oral historian from a ethnographer's work/process of interviewing.
time constraints, depth of questioning, everyday involvement, and conversation.