Rutgers Ph.D. student of History, Nathan Darmiento, recently attended the annual VOCES Oral History Research Summer Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. It is a week-long workshop led by Dr. J. Todd Moye, a historian at the University of North Texas with an interest in the US Civil Rights Movement, and Dr. Maggie-Rivas Rodriguez, a professor of journalism at The University of Texas at Austin who has extensive journalistic experience. Dr. Maggie-Rivas Rodriguez is also the founder and director of the U.S. Latino and Latina WWII Oral History Project, which is now the VOCES Oral History Project.
The goal of the course was to provide attendees with information on how to approach oral history and conduct a good oral interview, either for their dissertation projects, community histories, or college-wide projects. Topics covered included: oral history theory, interview techniques, necessary equipment, issues regarding legal paperwork and university guidelines, and good archival practices. Recounting his experience, Darmiento noted that “the class was very diverse with undergraduates, graduate students, community college professors, journalists, and school administrators present, each working on their own specific oral history project.”
Darmiento’s own dissertation project examines the Guatemalan refugee crisis in Chiapas, Mexico during the 1980s and how issues over land tenure, jungle deforestation, and national identity-making converged with the introduction of thousands of Guatemalan refugees. Using the training and lessons from the VOCES Institute, Darmiento plans to interview a host of individuals, including refugees, former government officials, NGO volunteers, and Mexican campesinos who lived along the borderland.
After spending two months in Chiapas, Darmiento has learned that many people there are interested in their local history and have many interesting stories and perspectives that they are more than happy to share. He expresses that “finding potential interview subjects should not be difficult, and the tools VOCES provided will help me construct an exciting and insightful oral history project centered on the experiences of ordinary people.”
