Resources

Interested in learning more about The Struggle for Identity? Browse a list of the various resources that have supported our project over the years, as well as a curated selection of works on the nature of oral history and similar oral history projects, housed at the University of Toronto and elsewhere. 

For the Project

A selection of academic and community resources that have been involved directly in the development of our project. 

Critical Digital Humanities Initiative (CDHI) (Link)
An interdisciplinary research workshop and design space housed at the University of Toronto that works to equip humanities researchers with technical experts and relevant digital tools.

Memories of UTSC Project (Link) 
A digital collection of the University of Toronto Scarborough’s institutional archives, housed in and maintained by the UTSC Library’s Digital Scholarship Unit. 

Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) (Link) 
The democratically-elected union of UTSC’s undergraduate student body, dedicated to advocating for the needs and interests of this body within the larger structure of the university. 

Scarborough Historical Society and Archives (Link) 
A society dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the history of Scarborough, Ontario, from the community’s pre-settlement days to the present. 

Scarborough Oral History Project (SOHP) (Link)
An online repository for the oral histories conducted for the Stories of UTSC project, as well as oral histories collected through course-based initiatives and special projects, housed in and maintained by the UTSC Library’s Digital Scholarship Unit. 

University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services (UTARMS) (Link) 
The branch of the University of Toronto Library system responsible for the appraisal, acquisition, preservation and use of University records and other records of institutional or community value. 

University of Toronto Magazine (Link) 
A magazine dedicated to highlighting the different areas of the University of Toronto and the activities therein, published semi-annually by U of T Communications. 

University of Toronto Mississauga Library, Archives & Special Collections (Link) 
The branch of the University of Toronto Mississauga Library dedicated to acquiring and preserving records and artifacts relevant to the institution and community, dating from the establishment of the campus in 1967 to the present. 

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections (Link) 
The branch of the University of Toronto Scarborough Library dedicated to acquiring and preserving records and artifacts relevant to the institution and community, dating from the conception of the campus in 1956 to the present. 

The Underground (Link)  
The official student publication of UTSC since 1969, dedicated to supporting student writing and representing campus life with a focus on long-form, contextual, and explanatory journalism.

For Oral History Work

A selection of works on the philosophies and methodologies behind oral history work. 

Digital Resources

The Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (COHDS) (Link)
A research centre dedicated to exploring the links between oral history, digital media, and education, housed at Concordia University. The COHDS also provides numerous tools and resources to support oral history projects, including many examples of such projects. 

Digital Omnium (Link)
A site with useful information on the latest software and technology for conducting, archiving, and preserving oral histories. 

Indigitization Toolkit (Link)
A collection of resources to support and guide digitization and preservation projects in Indigenous communities, developed collaboratively by Indigenous communities in British Columbia, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Northern British Columbia. 

Oral History Association (OHA) (Link)
An American organization housed at Baylor University that offers a variety of publications, guidelines, toolkits, and resources on the method and practice of oral history. 

Oral History in the Digital Age (OHDA) (Link)
A guide, developed collaboratively by various institutions and maintained by Michigan State University, featuring numerous essays, articles, and videos on collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital oral histories. 

Readings

Anderson, Kathryn and Dana C. Jack. “Learning to Listen: Interview Techniques and Analysis.” In Women’s Words: The Feminist Practice of Oral History, edited by Sherna Berger Gluck and Daphne Patai, 11-26. New York: Routledge, 1991.

Blee, Kathleen M. “Evidence, Empathy, and Ethics: Lessons from Oral Histories of the Klan.” The Journal of American History 80, no. 2 (1993): 596-606. https://doi.org/10.2307/2079873. 

Borland, Katherine. “That’s Not What I Said: Interpretative Conflict in Oral Narrative Research.” In Women’s Words: The Feminist Practice of Oral History, edited by Sherna Berger Gluck and Daphne Patai, 63-75. New York: Routledge, 1991.

Clark, Alfred P. “Oral History as Institutional Biography.” The Public Historian 41, no. 3: 72-90. https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2019.41.3.72. 

Cruikshank, Julie. “Oral Tradition and Oral History: Reviewing Some Issues.” Canadian Historical Review 75, no. 3: 403-18. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/574633. 

Greenspan, Henry and Sidney Bolkovsky. “When is an Interview and Interview? Notes from Listening to Holocaust Testimony.” Poetics Today 27, no. 2 (2006): 431-49. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-2005-012. 

Grele, Ronald S. “Oral History as Evidence,” in Handbook of Oral History, edited by Thomas L. Charlton, Lois E. Myers, and Rebecca Sharpless, 43-104. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2006.

King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003. 

MacKay, Nancy, Mary Kay Quinlan, and Barbara W. Sommer. Community Oral History Toolkit. New York: Left Coast Press, 2013. 

MacKay, Nancy. Curating Oral Histories: From Interview to Archive. New York: Left Coast Press, 2007.

Massey, Doreen. “Places and Their Pasts.” History Workshop Journal 39 (1995): 182-92. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4289361. 

Parr, Joy. “’Don’t Speak For Me’: Practicing Oral History Amidst the Legacies of Conflict.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association 21, no. 1 (2010) : 1-11. https://doi.org/10.7202/1003040ar.

Portelli, Alessandro. “What Makes Oral History Different.” In Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans, edited by Luisa Del Giudice, 21-30. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230101395_2. 

Yow, Valerie. “Ethics and Interpersonal Relationships in Oral History Research.” Oral History Review 22, 1 (1995): 51-66. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4495356. 

Yow, Valerie. Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2005. 

High, Steven. Oral History at the Crossroads: Sharing Life Stories of Survival and Displacement. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2014. 

Similar Projects

A selection of similar projects featuring a prominent oral history component. 

Bringing Them Home Oral History Project (Link)
An oral history project, conducted from 1998-2002, dedicated to collecting and preserving the stories of Indigenous people and others affected by or involved in the removal of Indigenous children from their families, as part of Australia’s Stolen Generations. 

Dawson Oral History Project (Link) 
A student-led research initiative at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec that is dedicated to developing and maintaining a public archive of community stories on a number of topics. 

Hear, Here La Crosse (Link) 
A community-based oral history project, housed at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, that has been adapted into a guided walking tour of and around La Crosse, Wisconsin. 

InfiniteMIT (Link) 
A digital archive of significant moments in the history of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, collected in the form of community interviews, recorded lectures, conversations, and historical photographs. 

Invisible Histories Project (Link) 
A nonprofit organization dedicated to researching and creating community-based educational programming about LGBTQ+ history in the Deep American South. 

The Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Oral History Project (Link) 
An oral history project, housed at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, that aims to document the lives and careers of higher education leaders who have had an impact on research and practice related to MSIs. 

Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO) (Link) 
A nonprofit educational institution and archive intended to document immigrant, ethnic, and Indigenous experiences in Canada, including in the form of oral history interviews, personal photographs, and textual records. 

NYC Trans Oral History Project (Link) 
A community archive devoted to the collection, preservation, and sharing of trans histories, organized in collaboration with the New York Public Library. 

Pussy Palace Oral History Project (Link) 
An oral history project dedicated to preserving and animating the oral histories of 36 former patrons, organizers, and allies of Toronto’s infamous Pussy Palace bathhouse events. 

The Queer Peel Oral History Project (Link) 
A student-driven collection consisting of oral history interviews of LGBTQ2+ activists, University of Toronto Mississauga students, and residents of the Peel Region. 

Rutgers Oral History Archives (ROHA) (Link) 
An oral history collection dedicated to recording the life narratives of people who shaped the history of Rutgers University and the local community at large.