Coming from the Outside In: Being an Outsider in Oral Interviews

Authors

  • Sandra Marie Borger

Keywords:

oral history, interviewing, ethnicity, feminist methodology

Abstract

Oral interviews are a highly valuable source of primary information in the discipline of history. This is especially true in cases where minorities and those who have been silenced in the past are being examined. While there exists a large group of oral historians that interview members of their own community and therefore understand all the cultural cues, symbols and rules, it is much different for an 'outsider' to do the same. Using first hand experiences from the field, this paper will examine the ways in which an outsider can gain permission to enter into a close-knit community and achieve the respect and acceptance of both participants and the broader community through feminist research methods.

Author Biography

Sandra Marie Borger

Sandra Borger has sucessfully defended and completed her Master's Degree in History from Simon Fraser University. She has presented at numerous conferences throughout the last two years, including the Canadian Historical Association General Meeting in Montreal, the Qualicum Conference in Parksville, and the Canadian Committee on Women's History in Vancouver.

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Published

2010-09-15

Issue

Vol. 2 (2010)

Section

Articles

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