Published on October 19, 2025 (Episode 433)
Introduction
“Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.” So begins the Oral History Association’s definition—authoritative, concise, and yet filled with ambiguity. Is oral history the oldest historical practice, stretching back to the beginnings of humanity? Or is it one of the newest, born of modern recording technology and shaped ever since by the evolution of audio?
My guest Douglas A. Boyd argues that the answer is: both. Oral history is an ancient human impulse given new form by the cassette recorder, the digital archive, and—now—the recording studio you casually call your “phone.” Boyd is an oral historian, archivist, folklorist, musician, and Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky. His newest book, Oral History: A Very Short Introduction, distills the method, ethics, technology, and wonder of the field—and that is the subject of our conversation today.
About the Guest
Douglas A. Boyd is Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky. He is an oral historian, archivist, folklorist, musician, and documentary producer. His latest book is Oral History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press).
For Further Investigation
Douglas A. Boyd, Oral History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2025)
—, Crawfish Bottom: Recovering a Lost Kentucky Community (University Press of Kentucky, 2013)
Douglas A. Boyd and M. Larson, eds, Oral History and Digital Humanities: Voice, Access, and Engagement (Palgrave, 2014)
Donald A. Ritchie, Doing Oral History (Oxford University Press, 2014)
Valerie Yow, Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 3rd ed. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
Related Episodes
“Bourbon Justice”—how bourbon influenced the creation of American law
“Family History is Knowing Yourself”—Joseph Amato on rethinking family history
Reflection Questions
Why does the definition of oral history contain both ancient and modern elements?
How has recording technology shaped the goals and possibilities of oral history?
What makes an interview “historical” rather than merely conversational?
Tags: Oral History; Douglas A. Boyd; Archives; Digital Humanities; Historically Thinking
