Collections : [Oral History Archives at Columbia]

Oral History Archives at Columbia

Oral History Archives at Columbia

6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
oralhist@library.columbia.edu
Established in 1948, the OHAC collections specialize in oral histories covering the arts, philanthropy, business, radio, publishing, filmmaking, medicine, science, public health, law, military, and architecture. We have interviews with individuals, as well as large-scale organizational interviews.
Start Over Repository Oral History Archives at Columbia
Oral History Archives at Columbia

Chinese oral history project collection, 1914-1989, bulk 1958-1980

37 Linear Feet 86 manuscript boxes, 7 card catalog drawers, and 4 index card boxes
The Chinese oral history project collection (中國口述歷史項目檔案) provides a wealth of information on the development of the project and its interviews with eminent Chinese political figures abroad in the United States and Hong Kong from 1958 to 1980s. The completed interviews are described separately under the Chinese oral history project, while this collection provides context of creation for the interviews and additional historical documentation on interviewees. The highlights of the collection consist of the administrative subject files, correspondence, interview photographs and reports, transcript drafts, collected autobiographies and manuscripts, audio recording, and card files of names mentioned in the transcripts.
378 results in this collection view all
Oral History Archives at Columbia

Oral History Research Office microfiche, circa 1945-1989, 1973-1988

4 Linear Feet

The Oral History Research Office microfiche contains 1165 interviews and the Annual Reports of the OHRO from 1948-1975. The microfiche was published in six segments, the first being published in 1973 and the last in 1988. Microfiche was initially manufactured and sold by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and then by Meckler Publishing.

1175 results in this collection view all

Annual Reports of the Oral History Research Office of Columbia University, 1948-1975, 1976

This is a microfiche compilation of the Annual Reports of the Oral History Research Office (OHRO). It encompasses all reports from 1948 to 1975, covering the period from the founding of the OHRO through the year before this microfiche compilation was published in 1976. The reports give insight into changes over the first three decades of the OHRO, covering oral history methodology, budgets, equipment, outputs, noteworthy interviewees, and more.

  1. Part III

Oral History Research Office microfiche, circa 1945-1989, 1973-1988 4 Linear Feet

Columbia University. Oral History Research Office

The Oral History Research Office microfiche contains 1165 interviews and the Annual Reports of the OHRO from 1948-1975. The microfiche was published in six segments, the first being published in 1973 and the last in 1988. Microfiche was initially manufactured and sold by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and then by Meckler Publishing.

    Oral History Archives at Columbia

    Chinese oral history project, 1958-1975

    17,584 pages 59 Reels 1.5 Linear Feet [1 record carton and 1 manuscript box]

    Interviews document the lives of seventeen prominent figures in the Republic of China (1911-1949). Narrators discuss military affairs, politics, national and regional governance, education, economics, culture, transportation, and other topics. Military campaigns are a major topic of the collection. Narrators discuss the operations and impacts of the Northern Expedition (1928-2928), Second Sino-Japanese War/War of Resistance (1937-1945), and Chinese Civil War (1945-1949). Narrators discuss the practical matters of governing during a period of upheaval. They also discuss the politics of the era and entities such as the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. Many narrators studied abroad in the United States and Europe. The collection gives insights into Chinese education and the experiences of Chinese nationals abroad, including observations from their travels. Several narrators worked as diplomats for the Republican government and offer insights into international affairs and world leaders of the mid-20th century.

    19 results in this collection view all

    Hu, Shih, 胡適, 1958 286 pages 1 Reels

    Family and early life; student days in the United States, 1910-17; working for a Chinese renaissance: theories of literary reform, analyses of early Chinese philosophy, discoveries in the history of Zen Buddhism, critical studies of major Chinese novels.

    1. Interviews

    Kung, H. H. (Kung, Hsiang-hsi; Kong, Xiangxi), 孔祥熙, 1958 147 pages 1 Reels

    Childhood, family's position in business, early influence of missionaries, experiences in politics, the Boxer Rebellion; education in China and United States, return to China; early association with Kuomintang and rise within Nationalist government; trip to Europe 1937 and meetings with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Neville Chamberlain, Eduard Benes, Hitler, and Mussolini; view of many government policies, role in currency stabilization, information about the Sian Incident and increasing Japanese pressure; friendship with various Chinese and foreign leaders.

    1. Interviews

    Chinese oral history project, 1958-1975 17,584 pages 59 Reels 1.5 Linear Feet [1 record carton and 1 manuscript box]

    Columbia University. East Asian Institute

    Interviews document the lives of seventeen prominent figures in the Republic of China (1911-1949). Narrators discuss military affairs, politics, national and regional governance, education, economics, culture, transportation, and other topics. Military campaigns are a major topic of the collection. Narrators discuss the operations and impacts of the Northern Expedition (1928-2928), Second Sino-Japanese War/War of Resistance (1937-1945), and Chinese Civil War (1945-1949). Narrators discuss the practical matters of governing during a period of upheaval. They also discuss the politics of the era and entities such as the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. Many narrators studied abroad in the United States and Europe. The collection gives insights into Chinese education and the experiences of Chinese nationals abroad, including observations from their travels. Several narrators worked as diplomats for the Republican government and offer insights into international affairs and world leaders of the mid-20th century.

      Oral History Archives at Columbia

      Columbia Armenian Oral History Archive, 1968-1977

      6 Linear Feet 6 record cartons

      The Columbia Armenian Oral History Archive is an important collection of audio and video recordings of first-person accounts of the early and recent experiences of Armenians, recorded after they had immigrated to the United States. The collection consists of 138 interviews in Armenian, English, and Turkish languages with immigrants conducted by Vazken L. Parsegian during the 1950s and 1960s, focusing largely on the survivors' memories of their personal experiences of the abduction, deportation, imporisonment and massacre of Armenians and the destruction of Armenian communities under the Ottoman Empire in the first decades of the Twentieth century. The testimonies also recount the early formation of Armenian communities in various cities of United States and socio-economic conditions. The collection is comprised of 210 hours of sound recordings in the following formats: magnetic tape reels, compact cassettes, and WAV files and compact disks representing the content of the original tapes.

      141 results in this collection view all

      Columbia Armenian Oral History Archive, 1968-1977 6 Linear Feet 6 record cartons

      Parsegian, V. L. (Vazken L.)

      The Columbia Armenian Oral History Archive is an important collection of audio and video recordings of first-person accounts of the early and recent experiences of Armenians, recorded after they had immigrated to the United States. The collection consists of 138 interviews in Armenian, English, and Turkish languages with immigrants conducted by Vazken L. Parsegian during the 1950s and 1960s, focusing largely on the survivors' memories of their personal experiences of the abduction, deportation, imporisonment and massacre of Armenians and the destruction of Armenian communities under the Ottoman Empire in the first decades of the Twentieth century. The testimonies also recount the early formation of Armenian communities in various cities of United States and socio-economic conditions. The collection is comprised of 210 hours of sound recordings in the following formats: magnetic tape reels, compact cassettes, and WAV files and compact disks representing the content of the original tapes.

        Oral History Archives at Columbia

        Gail Mary Killian and Stephen Desroches sound recordings, 1970-2003

        23 audiocassettes

        The majority of the collection's interviews were taken by Gail Mary Killian and document her life in the 1970s-1980s as a woman living with Down syndrome in Eastern Massachusetts. Killian recorded her birthday starting in 1970, and many recordings capture the conversations that took place at these celebrations, which were attended by family members and neighbors. Topics discussed at these parties include music-related gifts received by Killian; rock music and Polish folk music; television shows and movies; employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the region; work at the United States Postal Service (her father's employer); and happenings in their local community. The family also sings together, both in English and Polish. Also included are recordings made by Killian during her daily life. Killian was an avid music fan, and she records thoughts on rock bands such as the Beatles, Journey, and Van Halen. Portions of the local New Bedford, MA radio program "Polish Happy Hour" are captured on tape.

        24 results in this collection view all

        Gail Mary Killian and Stephen Desroches sound recordings, 1970-2003 23 audiocassettes

        Killian, Gail Mary, 1953-1988

        The majority of the collection's interviews were taken by Gail Mary Killian and document her life in the 1970s-1980s as a woman living with Down syndrome in Eastern Massachusetts. Killian recorded her birthday starting in 1970, and many recordings capture the conversations that took place at these celebrations, which were attended by family members and neighbors. Topics discussed at these parties include music-related gifts received by Killian; rock music and Polish folk music; television shows and movies; employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the region; work at the United States Postal Service (her father's employer); and happenings in their local community. The family also sings together, both in English and Polish. Also included are recordings made by Killian during her daily life. Killian was an avid music fan, and she records thoughts on rock bands such as the Beatles, Journey, and Van Halen. Portions of the local New Bedford, MA radio program "Polish Happy Hour" are captured on tape.

          Oral History Archives at Columbia

          Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality Oral History Collection, 2014-2015

          35 Volumes transcripts: 2554 pp. 285 Gigabytes 1,462 digital files
          The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) at Columbia University is an interdisciplinary institute for feminist scholarship and education. It was established as the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWAG) in 1987. Anticipating its 25th anniversary, the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) approached the Columbia Center for Oral History Research (CCOHR) in 2012, about an oral history project to document the history of the department and the growth and development of feminism at Columbia. The IRWGS Oral History Project was conducted with funding from the President's Office and was the first project undertaken by CCOHR in its new home at the Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics (INCITE). Interviews with current and past directors of IRWGS, affiliated and allied faculty, administrators, and students were conducted between 2014 and 2015. The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality Oral History Project is comprised of interviews with 36 individuals involved in the founding and development of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) at Columbia University. Interviewers conducted these interviews over 68 sessions, creating over 90 hours of recordings. Nine of these sessions were recorded on video, and interviews have been transcribed. Interviewers were guided by a set of research questions, which emphasized the role of IRWGS as a political actor within the broader context of Columbia University, agitating for the inclusion of feminist analysis and practice. As the project progressed, questions expanded to explore issues of generation, activism, the developments within feminism(s), evidence of increasing support of IRWGS by the university, and the challenge of addressing diversity, sexuality and other forms of social difference theoretically and as professional practice.
          42 results in this collection view all

          Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality Oral History Collection, 2014-2015 35 Volumes transcripts: 2554 pp. 285 Gigabytes 1,462 digital files

          Columbia University. Institute for Research on Women and Gender
          The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) at Columbia University is an interdisciplinary institute for feminist scholarship and education. It was established as the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWAG) in 1987. Anticipating its 25th anniversary, the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) approached the Columbia Center for Oral History Research (CCOHR) in 2012, about an oral history project to document the history of the department and the growth and development of feminism at Columbia. The IRWGS Oral History Project was conducted with funding from the President's Office and was the first project undertaken by CCOHR in its new home at the Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics (INCITE). Interviews with current and past directors of IRWGS, affiliated and allied faculty, administrators, and students were conducted between 2014 and 2015. The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality Oral History Project is comprised of interviews with 36 individuals involved in the founding and development of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality (IRWGS) at Columbia University. Interviewers conducted these interviews over 68 sessions, creating over 90 hours of recordings. Nine of these sessions were recorded on video, and interviews have been transcribed. Interviewers were guided by a set of research questions, which emphasized the role of IRWGS as a political actor within the broader context of Columbia University, agitating for the inclusion of feminist analysis and practice. As the project progressed, questions expanded to explore issues of generation, activism, the developments within feminism(s), evidence of increasing support of IRWGS by the university, and the challenge of addressing diversity, sexuality and other forms of social difference theoretically and as professional practice.

            Greg Pflugfelder, 2014 December 10, 2015 January 29

            In the first session of this interview, Greg Pflugfelder explains how he was first inspired to study gender history through the instruction of Barbara Solomon during his undergraduate years at Harvard. He addresses his following years at Waseda University and Stanford University and the continuation of his research on gender history, including the publication of his first book Politics and the Kitchen: A History of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Akita Prefecture. Pflugfelder discusses how he began to research sexuality studies and what the intellectual environment was like for the study of queer history at that time. Pflugfelder describes his initial involvement with IRWGS after joining the East Asian Language and Cultures department at Columbia University in 1996, including his contribution of a focus on queer and sexuality studies to the Institute. In the second session of this interview, Pflugfelder explains his role in IRWGS's Executive Committee and his role as a male scholar within the Institute. He also explains how he, along with Lila Abu-Lughod, helped contribute to IRWGS's shift from a primarily Western perspective to a global one. Pflugfelder goes on to address the unique interdisciplinary space IRWGS is on Columbia's campus and its importance as both an intellectual and social community.

            1. Interviews
            Oral History Archives at Columbia

            Research Center for Arts and Culture Oral History Collection, 1990-1993

            4 linear feet 7 boxes
            The interviews of the Artist Career and Training Project were conducted by the Research Center for Arts and Culture at Columbia University from 1990 to 1993. The project sought to systematically analyze the career paths, training, and job satisfaction of artists, craftspeople, painters, actors, and related professionals, such as museum curators, critics, dealers, managers, directors, producers, and union representatives. The interviews address education, training, preparation to career entry, peers and colleagues, marketplace judgments, critical evaluation and public response, and career satisfaction and maturity. The study strove to include diverse participants in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and stage of career. Other themes frequently discussed include the use of other jobs to supplement a career in the arts, aging, Actors' Equity, materials used in crafts, and the very meaning of having a career in the arts.
            205 results in this collection view all

            Research Center for Arts and Culture Oral History Collection, 1990-1993 4 linear feet 7 boxes

            Columbia University.. Research Center for Arts and Culture
            The interviews of the Artist Career and Training Project were conducted by the Research Center for Arts and Culture at Columbia University from 1990 to 1993. The project sought to systematically analyze the career paths, training, and job satisfaction of artists, craftspeople, painters, actors, and related professionals, such as museum curators, critics, dealers, managers, directors, producers, and union representatives. The interviews address education, training, preparation to career entry, peers and colleagues, marketplace judgments, critical evaluation and public response, and career satisfaction and maturity. The study strove to include diverse participants in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and stage of career. Other themes frequently discussed include the use of other jobs to supplement a career in the arts, aging, Actors' Equity, materials used in crafts, and the very meaning of having a career in the arts.
              Oral History Archives at Columbia

              Jeffrey H. Brodsky oral history collection, 1991-2021, bulk 2000-2012

              237 Gigabytes 1704 Files
              A born-digital work product collection of former journalist, oral historian, and OHMA grad Jeffrey Brodsky. Collection contains personal materials, audio files of a radio show, photographs and video of red carpet interviews, and materials related to Brodsky's time as a student in the Oral History Master's program at Columbia, including interviews (some partial, some complete) and related materials to his thesis title "My First Campaign," an exploration of political candidates' first political campaign.
              99 results in this collection view all

              Series I: Personal Materials, 1991-2021

              This series includes press clippings about Brodsky's work, screenshots of his appearances in various media outlets, solo photos of Brodsky, and professional papers like a resume and a letter of recommendation.

                Jeffrey H. Brodsky oral history collection, 1991-2021, bulk 2000-2012 237 Gigabytes 1704 Files

                Brodsky, Jeffrey H., 1974-2023
                A born-digital work product collection of former journalist, oral historian, and OHMA grad Jeffrey Brodsky. Collection contains personal materials, audio files of a radio show, photographs and video of red carpet interviews, and materials related to Brodsky's time as a student in the Oral History Master's program at Columbia, including interviews (some partial, some complete) and related materials to his thesis title "My First Campaign," an exploration of political candidates' first political campaign.
                  Oral History Archives at Columbia

                  Bill Weinberg sound recordings, 1992-2021, bulk 1992-2011

                  57 audiocassettes 1 box
                  Bill Weinberg is a journalist, political writer, activist, and radio personality. His work and activism has focused on human rights, indigenous movements, drug policy, the environment, the Middle East, and opposition to war and authoritarianism. The Bill Weinberg sound recordings feature 57 episodes of the show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC), which was broadcast on WBAI radio from 1988 to 2011. The collection's recordings date from Bill Weinberg's period as part of the show's collective from 1992 to 2011. Throughout its run, MORC covered a wide range of political, cultural, and spiritual topics. Some major themes addressed in the collection's episodes include ecology, indigenous movements, anarchism, the War on Drugs, United States imperialism, Latin America, North Africa, religion, New York City political and social movements, sustainable transportation, and gardening. The collection also contains an oral history interview with Weinberg that was taken by the curator when the collection was donated to the Oral History Archives at Columbia.
                  60 results in this collection view all

                  Bill Weinberg sound recordings, 1992-2021, bulk 1992-2011 57 audiocassettes 1 box

                  Weinberg, Bill
                  Bill Weinberg is a journalist, political writer, activist, and radio personality. His work and activism has focused on human rights, indigenous movements, drug policy, the environment, the Middle East, and opposition to war and authoritarianism. The Bill Weinberg sound recordings feature 57 episodes of the show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC), which was broadcast on WBAI radio from 1988 to 2011. The collection's recordings date from Bill Weinberg's period as part of the show's collective from 1992 to 2011. Throughout its run, MORC covered a wide range of political, cultural, and spiritual topics. Some major themes addressed in the collection's episodes include ecology, indigenous movements, anarchism, the War on Drugs, United States imperialism, Latin America, North Africa, religion, New York City political and social movements, sustainable transportation, and gardening. The collection also contains an oral history interview with Weinberg that was taken by the curator when the collection was donated to the Oral History Archives at Columbia.
                    Oral History Archives at Columbia

                    Thomas Iorio Stonewall Vets video recordings, 1994-1996

                    28 videocassettes (Hi 8) 5 videocassettes (VHS) 1 item
                    The Thomas Iorio Stonewall Vets video recordings document LGBTQ culture and heritage in New York City in the mid-1990s. Some footage in the collection was ultimately used in Iorio's short film Stonewall: The March Forward. This film is also found in the collection. Iorio took these videos to connect with LGBTQ history after he came out in the 1990s. The footage has a mixture of oral history interviews and recorded events and activities. Major themes of the collection are the activities of the Stonewall Rebellion Veterans Association (SVA), the lives of unhoused LGBTQ individuals on the piers west of New York City, drag performance, and LGBTQ life in Manhattan in the 1990s. Figures featured include Sylvia Rivera, Williamson Lee Henderson (Willson Henderson), Stephen Van Cline, and Queen Allyson Ann Allante.
                    37 results in this collection view all

                    Thomas Iorio Stonewall Vets video recordings, 1994-1996 28 videocassettes (Hi 8) 5 videocassettes (VHS) 1 item

                    Iorio, Thomas
                    The Thomas Iorio Stonewall Vets video recordings document LGBTQ culture and heritage in New York City in the mid-1990s. Some footage in the collection was ultimately used in Iorio's short film Stonewall: The March Forward. This film is also found in the collection. Iorio took these videos to connect with LGBTQ history after he came out in the 1990s. The footage has a mixture of oral history interviews and recorded events and activities. Major themes of the collection are the activities of the Stonewall Rebellion Veterans Association (SVA), the lives of unhoused LGBTQ individuals on the piers west of New York City, drag performance, and LGBTQ life in Manhattan in the 1990s. Figures featured include Sylvia Rivera, Williamson Lee Henderson (Willson Henderson), Stephen Van Cline, and Queen Allyson Ann Allante.

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