Oral History Association


The Oral History Association is a professional association for oral historians and others interested in advancing the practice and use of oral history. It is based in the United States but has international membership. Its mission is that they are "a dynamic crossroads of ideas and people, connecting and inspiring practitioners, and supporting their work to ethically collect, preserve, share, and interpret memories which foster knowledge and respect."

History

In 1966 James V. Mink, director of the UCLA Oral History Program, planned and staged the First National Colloquium on Oral History, which was held in California, at the Lake Arrowhead Conference Center, on 25–28 September. Panelists at the meeting included Louis M. Starr, director of the Columbia University oral history program; Elizabeth Mason, associate director of the Columbia University oral history program; Allan Nevins, writer and historian; Samuel Hand, history professor at the University of Vermont; and Saul Benison, writer and history professor at Brandeis University. The founding of an oral history association was first discussed at this meeting, and James Mink served as the Chairman of the new association from 1967 to 1968.
In its first newsletter, in June 1967, the association announced that it had been incorporated as a registered non-profit educational organization in New York State.
In 1968 Louis Starr organized the Second National Colloquium on Oral History which was held at Arden House in Harriman, New York. Starr served as the Oral History Association's first president.
In 2017 the association established its headquarters at Middle Tennessee State University for a term of at least five years. In October 2022 it was announced that in January 2023 the association would move its headquarters to the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University, in Waco, Texas.

Leadership

OHA Executive Office
Stephen Sloan, Executive Director
Steven Sielaff, Assistant Director
Hailey Rowe, Program Associate
OHA Officers and Council Members
President
Tomas F. Summers Sandoval, Jr., Pomona College
Vice-President/President-Elect
Kelly Elaine Navies, Smithsonian, National Museum of African American History and Culture
First Vice President
Troy Reeves, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Past President
Amy Starecheski, Columbia University
Council
Cynthia Tobar, Bronx Community College
Zaheer Ali, The Lawrenceville School
Alissa Rae Funderburk, Jackson State University
Nishani Frazier, University of Kansas
Shanna Farrell, University of California
Treasurer
Mary Larson, Oklahoma State University

Activities

OHA holds an annual meeting that focuses on different oral history topics, hosts a Wiki for sharing resources, and hosts an online OHA Network for finding other members with similar interests.
OHA gives out the following awards:
  • Emerging Crises Research Annual Fund
  • Stetson Kennedy Vox Populi Annual Award
  • Book Award
  • Oral History in Nonprint Format
  • Martha Ross Teaching Award
  • Article Award
  • Postsecondary Teaching Award
  • Elizabeth B. Mason Project Award
OHA encourages its members to participate in its thirteen committees:
  • Advocacy Committee
  • Committee on Committees
  • Development Committee
  • Diversity Committee
  • Education Committee
  • Emerging Professionals Committee
  • Finance Committee
  • International Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Nomination Committee
  • Public Programming Committee
  • Publications Committee
  • Scholarship Committee

    Publications

The Oral History Review is the official publication of OHA and was first issued in 1973. Its founding editor was Samuel Hand. Released annually from 1973 - 1986, it is now released biannually by Oxford Journals.
Newsletters are released in the spring, fall, and winter each year. A Pamphlet Series provides information about topics such as oral history in the classroom and oral history for the family historian.

Affiliates