Comptes rendu
Book Reviews
————————————————
Lynn Abrams, Oral History Theory (Oxon: Routledge, 2010). 214 pp.
ISBN 0-415-42755-X (pbk), $42.00.
In her new book, Oral History Theory, Lynn Abrams has successfully created a
user-friendly guide to the practical application of theory. Abrams, an
experienced University of Glasgow oral historian, defines oral history as a
method of research which is distinct from other historical endeavors. What
sets it apart is its collaborative approach; the researcher instigates and leads
interviews and from these interactions historical documents are created. The
historian’s involvement in the production of historical data creates possibilities
for new lines of historical inquiry, such as studying individuals or groups
whose experiences have not previously been documented, but the oral
historian’s method also brings with it unique difficulties. Unlike other sources
an historian might use, each interview is the result of a dialogue between the
interviewer and interviewee. Moreover, the social structure of the interview
and the culture of each participant dramatically affect the content and
performance of the interviewee’s narrative. Abrams synthesizes the theories
that explain the complex interplay of these factors using practical examples to
illustrate theory and demonstrating ways in which theory improves
methodology and the analysis of oral history data.
The book was developed as a result of Abrams’ need for a textbook
that united oral history theory and practice when she taught a course on that
subject. The course was offered to undergraduate students at Glasgow
University, and the book’s informal style is suited to the intended student
audience. Abrams writes with clarity, demystifying theoretical terms within the
text and providing a glossary for quick reference. She draws on the work of
Strata
Comptes rendu / Book Reviews
the field’s leading experts, such as Allessandro Portelli, Paul Thompson,
Michael Frisch, Julie Cruickshank and Valerie Yow, to present models of how
oral history theory has been used in different contexts. She explores the
development of work in the field by using examples of recent projects by
other historians working in Britain, Europe, Africa and Canada, describing
how theory has changed in response to practical considerations,
interdisciplinary influences and cultural discourses. As such, her book helps
students grasp the utility of oral history theory by not simply presenting it as
theory, but by also demonstrating its practical uses.
The book begins with an introduction to the history of oral history
methodology. It describes the four common steps in the process: the original
interview, recording of the interview, transcription and interpretation of the
interview material. Abrams points out the many layers of interaction that
occur within the interview: between the interviewee himself/herself, between
the interviewer and interviewee, and between participants and their culture(s).
She explains the need for accurate transcriptions of interviews and explores
both sides of the argument for maintaining a narrator’s linguistic
idiosyncrasies. One side of this argument states that precise transcription is
necessary in order to retain the speaker’s rhythms of speech, dialects and
silences, while the other side claims that the most important need is to convey
the speaker’s meaning. Abrams argues that it is possible to strike a balance
between meaning and detailed transcription, and she illustrates this balance
with examples from her own interviews with Shetland Islanders, whose
vocabulary and accent can be almost incomprehensible to outsiders. Abrams
demonstrates that without some editing on the historian’s part a speaker’s
meaning can be lost to the general readership. She concludes that while speech
patterns are important, the ultimate aim of the historian should be to present
the speaker’s meaning; she does however acknowledge that the search for the
narrator’s meaning is not a simple task. Abrams explains that oral history
theory helps historians decode data, enabling an understanding of the links
between individual and general narratives, between personal and public
experience, and between the past and the present.
138
Strata
Comptes rendu / Book Reviews
Abrams goes on to explain how oral history differs from conventional
historical methodologies, which rely on written sources for data. She discusses
orality, narrative, subjectivity, memory, mutability, collaboration and personal
testimony, referring to these aspects as the peculiarities of oral history,
describes how each influences the interview process, and offers some practical
advice: historians, Abrams states, must approach their interviews with an
openness that permits the interviewees to influence the direction of the
project. This openness must carry through to the publishing stage where
Abrams advises oral historians to include a description of themselves and their
goals for the project as well as to include the questions they put to the
interviewees. Narratives should not be neatly edited to further the historian’s
argument. Rather, Abrams applauds a study published by Allesandro Portelli
in which the author consistently privileges the names and narratives of the
interviewees over the historian by, for example, listing the names of those
interviewed at the beginning of the book, and beginning each chapter with a
long story told by one of the interviewees. In these ways, Abrams argues,
historical works can create more satisfactory representations of their oral
sources.
The remainder of the book explores theoretical topics relevant to oral
history in depth: theories of self, subjectivity and inter-subjectivity, memory,
narrative, performance, and power and empowerment. In each case, Abrams
defines the theoretical term under examination, explains its relationship to oral
history practice, and describes the turning points in oral history method when
this theory was applied. She then explains the theory in detail, after which she
provides useful examples of oral history projects that have used each theory.
Most importantly, she describes how each theory has been successful or has
introduced challenges within the projects, and outlines her recommendations
on how best to apply the theory in question. This section is particularly
instructive for neophytes in the field and Abrams demonstrates her mastery of
the material by the way she clarifies each lesson. She acknowledges the
evolving nature of oral history theory while providing the reader with practical
guidance on how to approach their own work.
139
Strata
Comptes rendu / Book Reviews
Criticisms of Oral History Theory are minor and relate mainly to the
book’s format, though the book would be improved by the inclusion of charts
and models that outline the theories being discussed. Models would reinforce
the ideas being presented and aid students who are visual learners.
This book is an excellent reference tool for oral history students. It
provides useful insight at all stages of an oral history project. Abrams’ clear
explanations of terminology and theories allow novices to better understand
when to apply particular theories. She illuminates theory with dozens of recent
examples, demonstrating how particular theories have been employed in oral
history projects around the world. Abrams combines her masterful grasp of
theory with practical advice to guide others. Anyone who is interested in
understanding the complexities of the oral history theory would benefit from
reading this book.
KIM MADSEN
MA Student, University of Victoria
🍁🍁🍁
Donica Belisle, Retail Nation: Department Stores and the Making of
Modern Canada (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2011). 308 pp. ISBN
9780774819473 (hc), $85.00.
Donica Belisle, an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at
Athabasca University, is perhaps best known for her previous Marxist-feminist
works, in article form, addressing Canadian consumerism in the early- to midtwentieth century. Her recent book Retail Nation: Department Stores and the
Making of Modern Canada does not veer from this path and serves as an
assemblage of these previous arguments, taking into consideration a wide
variety of companies, including Eaton’s, the Hudson’s Bay Company,
Spencer’s, Sears, Morgan’s, Simpson’s, Woodward’s and Dupuis Frères for her
present analysis. In keeping with her previous works, Belisle emphasizes the
140