Doster is nominated for The Oral History Association Award!!
Georgia Witness has been nominated for The Oral History Association Award was established in 1993 to recognize a published book that uses oral history to make a significant contribution to contemporary scholarship; and/or significantly advances understanding of important theoretical issues in oral history; and/or is an outstanding example of sound oral history methodology.
The award, which is honorific, is presented annually and will be awarded at the OHA’s 2013 annual meeting. Winners receive framed award certificates, one-year memberships in the OHA, and complimentary registration to the annual meeting.
The OHA welcomes entries that represent the work of academic scholars, public historians, independent professionals, and community-based groups and individuals. Entries are welcome from around the world but must be in English.
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Georgia Witness contains 26 interviews with people of various walks of life from a former U.S. Senator to a second-generation immigrant farmer. The memories of those who were interviewed extend to the early decades of the 20th Century. Several of the participants descend from American colonists, one descends from a Muslim slave, and another descends from a female Cherokee warrior. All of the participants have unique stories to tell.
Interviews were conducted over a four-year period in person and by phone. Mr. Doster selected each interview based on geographical location, age, occupation, and in some instances, ethnicity. A standard set of questions regarding the person’s birth, family, and education was used to initiate each interview. Several of the more prominent participants were approached because of their connection to early settlers or due to significant contributions they made in the course of their careers. Mr. Doster researched much of what interviewees told him in order to verify the historical accuracy of statements made. He followed up with each interviewee when necessary to ensure the edits were also accurate. In some instances, he used e-mail or written correspondence to do this. Where possible, he asked each person to read the final narrative to further verify the accuracy of his or her statements.
There are two intended audiences for Georgia Witness. One is today’s reader who may be interested in aspects of contemporary history. The other audience would be readers a hundred years from now who may want to know what the average American’s life was like in the 1900s-2000s, what they thought about issues of the day, and how those issues shaped their lives, which in turn will shape the lives of future generations.
Copies of Georgia Witness have been deposited in the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, the Georgia Historical Society, the Vanderbilt University Main Library, the Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives, the University of Georgia Library, and the Winterthur Museum (Delaware).
Stephen Doster has a master’s degree with a concentration in history from Vanderbilt University, where he also works as an Editor. This is his second oral history book. He wrote a previous oral history, Voices from St. Simons: Personal Narratives of an Island’s Past in 2008 (John F. Blair, Winston-Salem).
William Faulkner once said “each man is the living sum of his past.” If that’s true, then each man and woman is a reflection of the past and a contributor to history going forward. This book is an attempt to peer into the past through living windows, the eyes and ears of those who have witnessed the events that make our world what it is today and who continue to shape its destiny.