Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Appalachian Oral Histories: Voices History Forgot
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This paper will discuss the importance of oral history collection for underrepresented, oppressed, or historically maligned populations for preserving history that is widely ignored. It will also adress how oral histories can be used to encourage understanding of the diversity in the Appalachian area as well as showing the rich and varied histories present in Appalachia of which many people are unaware. This paper will utilize collections of oral histories from the American Folklife Center and various other sources to construct a picture of the importance of oral history collection and how oral histories can provide information and insight into areas of life, particularly that of home and family, that wouldn’t be readily available in standardized texts. There will also be a small overview on the utilization of oral histories as classroom tools and how to encourage students to investigate their own oral history through engagement with the elder and extended members of their family.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Kira Cope graduated from Shepherd University in 2010 with dual degrees in English and Sociology. She is currently attending Marshall University as a student in the Sociology MA program and working on completing her thesis on representations of vigilantism in American culture.
Appalachian Oral Histories: Voices History Forgot
This paper will discuss the importance of oral history collection for underrepresented, oppressed, or historically maligned populations for preserving history that is widely ignored. It will also adress how oral histories can be used to encourage understanding of the diversity in the Appalachian area as well as showing the rich and varied histories present in Appalachia of which many people are unaware. This paper will utilize collections of oral histories from the American Folklife Center and various other sources to construct a picture of the importance of oral history collection and how oral histories can provide information and insight into areas of life, particularly that of home and family, that wouldn’t be readily available in standardized texts. There will also be a small overview on the utilization of oral histories as classroom tools and how to encourage students to investigate their own oral history through engagement with the elder and extended members of their family.
