Useful readings on oral history

This list of important works is always growing. If you’d like to add to this list, send us your recommendation using the form at the bottom of this page.

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Handbooks and bibliographies

Abrams, L. (2016) Oral History Theory. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Aceves, Jorge (coord.), Historia oral. Ensayos y aportes de investigación, CIESAS, México, 2007.

Alberti, V. (2013) Manual de história oral. Rio de Janeiro: Editora FGV. [Portuguese]

Andrade, E.P. de, Almeida, J.R. de (2019) História oral e educação: experiência, tempo e narrativa. Sao Paulo: Letra e Voz. [Portuguese]

Apel, L. (2022) Erinnern, erzählen, Geschichte schreiben. Oral History im 21. Jahrhundert. Berlin: Metropol-Verlag.

Armitage, S.H., Hart, P., Weathermon, K. (2003) Women’s oral history: the Frontiers reader. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Arp, A. (2019) Giving a voice to the oppressed: the International Oral History Association, between political movements and academic networks. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

Attwood, B., Magowan, F. (2001) Telling stories: indigenous history and memory in Australia and New Zealand. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books.

Barela, L., Miguez, M., Conde, L.G. (2009) Algunos apuntes sobre historia oral y cómo abordarla. Buenos Aires: Dirección General Patrimonio e Instituto Histórico.

Beorlegui, D. (2022) Cómo hacer entrevistas. INTEF.

Bergen, T. (2020) Transcribing oral history. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Bertaux, D. (1983) Biography and society: the life history approach in the social sciences. Beverly Hills: Sage.

Bonomo, B. (2013) Voci della memoria: l’uso delle fonti orali nella ricerca storica. Roma: Carocci.

Bornat, J. (1994) Reminiscence reviewed: evaluations, achievements, perspectives. Buckingham: Open University PresBornat, J., Perks, R. (2000) Oral history, health, and welfare. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Boyd, D.A., Larson, M. (2014) Oral history and digital humanities voice, access, and engagement. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Brunetti, D., Robotti, D., Salvalaggio, E. (2021) Documenti sonori voce, suono, musica in archivi e raccolte. Torino: Centro studi piemontesi.

Casellato, A. (2021) Buone pratiche per la storia orale: guida all’uso. Firenze: Editpress.

Castro, F., Cárdenas, U.A (2018), Historias y memorias. Un aporte al estado de la cuestión. Bogotá:Universidad de Rosario, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia,  Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas.

Contini, G., Martini, A. (1993) Verba manent: l’uso delle fonti orali per la storia contemporanea. Roma: NIS.

Daza Pérez, D. del P. et al. (2018) Historia oral y memorias: un aporte al estado de la discusión. Bogotá: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional.

Descamps, F., Fridenson, P. (2019) Archiver la mémoire: de l’histoire orale au patrimoine immatériel. Paris: EHESS.

Dunaway, D.K., Baum, W.K. (1996) Oral history: an interdisciplinary anthology. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.

Evans, G.E., Gentleman, D. (1993) The Crooked Scythe: an anthology of oral history. London: Faber and Faber

Figereido, J., Ferreira, M. de M., Amado, J. (2008) Usos & abusos da história oral. Rio de Janeiro: Editora FGV. [Portuguese]

Freund, A., Thomson, A. (2011) Oral History and Photography. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Frisch, M.H. (1990) A shared authority: essays on the craft and meaning of oral and public history. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Gluck, S.B., Patai, D. (1991) Women’s words: the feminist practice of oral history. London: Routledge.

Gomes, A.M. de C. (2020) História oral e historiografia: questões sensíveis. São Paulo: Letra e Voz.

Green, A., Hutching, M. (2004) Remembering: writing oral history. Auckland: Auckland University Press.

Grele, R.J., Terkel, S. (1991) Envelopes of sound: the art of oral history. New York [etc.]: Praeger.

Gribaudi, G. (ed.) (2020) Testimonianze e testimoni nella storia del tempo presente. Firenze: Editpress.

Hamilton, C. et al. (eds) (2002) Refiguring the archive. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Hamilton, P., Shopes, L. (2008) Oral history and public memories. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Hayes, P. (1992) Speak for yourself. Windhoek: CASS : Longman Namibia.

Hoffman, M. (2020) Practicing oral history among refugees and host communities. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Lance, D. (1978) An archive approach to oral history. London: Imperial War Museum in association with International Association of Sound Archives.

Lara Meza, A.M. et al. (2010) Los oficios del historiador : taller y prácticas de la historia oral. Guanajuato: Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Guanajuato, División de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Departamento de Estudios de Cultura y Sociedad, Laboratorio de Historia Oral.

Llewellyn, K.R., Freund, A., Reilly, N. (2015) The Canadian oral history reader. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Llona, M. (2012) Entreverse: teoría y metodología práctica de las fuentes orales. Bilbao: Universidad del País Vasco = Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea Argitalpen Zerbitzua.

Loh, K.S., Koh, E., Dobbs, S. (2013) Oral history in Southeast Asia: memories and fragments. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mahuika, N. (2019) Rethinking oral history and tradition: an indigenous perspective. New York: Oxford University Press.

Matters, M.E. (1995) Oral History Cataloging Manual. Society of American Archivists.

McMahan, E.M., Grele, R.J. (1989) Elite oral history discourse: a study of cooperation and coherence. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.

Meihy, J.C.S., Holanda, F. (2007) Historia oral: como fazer, como pensar, Sao Paulo: Editora Contexto. [Portuguese].

Meihy, J.C.S.B., Seawright, L. (2020) Memórias e narrativas: história oral aplicada. Sao Paulo: Editora Contexto. [Portuguese].

Miescher, S.F., White, L., Cohen, D.W. (2001) African words, African voices: critical practices in oral history. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Montenegro, Antonio & Necoechea, Gerardo (2011). Caminos de Historia y Memoria en América Latina. Buenos Aires: Imago Mundi.

Montoya, F.-A., Allen, Beverly B., Ortega, J.A.A. (2019) Practicing oral history to connect university to community. London: Routledge.

Mulvihill, T.M. and Swaminathan, R. (2022) Oral history and qualitative methodologies: educational research for social justice. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Nelson, C., Speirs, K.A. (2018) Oral history in your library: create shelf space for community voice. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited.

Neuenschwander, J.A. (2014) A guide to oral history and the law. Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press.

Ng-A-Fook, N., Llewellyn, K.R. (2019) Oral history education, public schooling, and social justice: troubling cultures of reconciliation. London: Routledge.

Passerini, L. (1988) Storia e soggettività: le fonti orali, la memoria. Scandicci (FI): La nuova Italia.

Passerini, L. (2009) Fascism in popular memory: the cultural experience of the Turin working class. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Perks, R. (1995) Oral history: talking about the past. London: Historical Association in association with The Oral History Society.

Perks, R., Thomson, A. (2016) The Oral History Reader. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Portelli, A. (1991) The death of Luigi Trastulli, and other stories: form and meaning in oral history. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press.

Portelli, A. (2003) The order has been carried out: history, memory, and meaning of a Nazi massacre in Rome. New York [etc.]: Palgrave Macmillan.

Portelli, A. (2010) They say in Harlan County: an oral history. New York [etc.]: Oxford University Press.

Portelli, A. (2017) Storie orali: racconto, immaginazione, dialogo. Donzelli.

Proglio, G. (2020) The Horn of Africa diasporas in Italy: an oral history. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ritchie, D.A. (2012) The Oxford handbook of oral history.

Ritchie, D.A. (2019) Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Robertson, B.M., Gasper, J. (2013) Oral History Handbook. Unley: South Australia Oral History Association of Australia.

Schneider, W. (2002) So they understand: cultural issues in oral history. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press.

Schwarzstein, D. (2001) Una introducción al uso de la historia oral en el aula. Buenos Aires: Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Seldon, A., Pappworth, J. (1983) By word of mouth: ‘Elite’ oral history. London: Methuen.

Sitton, T. (2005) Historia oral: una guía para profesores y otras personas. Buenos Aires: Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Smith, G. (2017) Oral history. London: Routledge.

Socrate, F. (2018) Sessantotto: due generazioni. Bari: Laterza.

Söhner, F., Wochenschau Verlag Dr. Kurt Debus GmbH (2022) Teaching Oral History at University. Frankfurt: Wochenschau Verlag.

Summerskill, C. (2021) Creating verbatim theatre from oral histories. New York [etc.]: Routledge.

Taylor, P. (1996) Telling it Like it is: A Guide to Making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History. Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

Terkel, S. (2007) The Studs Terkel reader: my American century. New York: New Press.

Thompson, P. and Bornat, J. (2017) The Voice of the Past: Oral History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thompson, P., Plummer, K., Demireva, N. (2021) Pioneering social research: life stories of a generation. Bristol: Policy Press.

Trujillano, J. Manuel et al (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998)  Jornadas de  Historia y Fuentes  Orales  (III, IV,V,VI). Ávila, Fundación Santa Teresa.

Williams, N. (2021) Mapping Social Memory. A Psychotherapeutic Psychosocial Approach. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Yow, V.R. (2015) Recording Oral History: a Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

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Periodicals

Bios – Zeitschrift fur Biographieforschung, Oral History und Lebensverlaufsanalysen [Germany], vol. 1 1988–

Fonti orali. Studi e ricerche. Bollettino nazionale d’informazione (1981-1987)

Associazione Italiana di Storia Orale, Istituto Ernesto de Martino, Circolo Gianni Bosio, Lega di cultura di Piàdena, Il de Martino. Storie suoni voci, (2021-)

História Oral, [Brazil] vol.1 June 1998–

Universidade de São Paulo. Núcleo de Estudos em História Oral, Oralidades: revista de historia oral (2007-)

Historia y Fuente Oral, [Spain] no. 1 1989–1995

International Journal of Oral History, vol. 1 1980–1990

Oral History Association of Australia, Studies in Oral History (2020-)

International Yearbook of Oral History and Life Stories, vol. 1 1993–vol. 4 1996

Life Stories/Recits de Vie, [UK/France] no. 1 1985–no. 5 1989

Oral History, [UK] vol. 1 no. 1 1969–

Oral History Association of Australia Journal, no. 1 1978–

The Oral History Forum (formerly the Canadian Oral History Association Journal), vol. 1 1975/6–

Oral History in New Zealand, vol. 1 1988–

Oral History Review, [USA] no. 1 1973–

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