Immigration & Memory: Oral History in Greater Danbury
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Project Description
Documenting the immigrant experience in the Greater Danbury area over the past century is the primary focus of “Immigration & Memory: Oral History in Greater Danbury,” an oral history project supported by the President's Initiatives Fund. Project team members are: Professor of History Dr. Burton Peretti, Associate Professor of History Dr. Martha May, Professor of Sociology Dr. Steven Ward, Adjunct Professor of History Shannon Doherty, and Haas Library Assistant Librarian Genevieve Innes.
Link to David Roman's Powerpoint for WCSU Research Day 2007.
Project Purpose
The purpose of the project is to collect oral histories and interviews of immigrants in the Greater Danbury area, which will serve as the foundation for the Western Connecticut Regional Oral History database. The oral history database will enable students to analyze the history of immigration, the nature of community formation and consider the implications of immigration in the Danbury area.
Implementation
Initial project meetings have focused on planning course assignments during the 2006-07 academic year. The goal of these assignments, confirmed for four classes in the fall semester, will be to train students in oral history techniques and methodologies and to begin the collection of immigrant interviews that will become the basis for creation of a western Connecticut oral history archive. Both WCSU faculty and student project participants are collaborating with area historical society and immigrant community representatives to facilitate collection of oral histories during the academic year 2006-2007.
The project team is exploring new technologies in order to utilize the most effective platforms for recording and transcribing the oral histories. Adjunct Professor of History Shannon Doherty attended a conference in July on use of digital technology in oral history collection, and will advise the group in this area. A digital, web-based oral history repository, managed by WCSU librarians and project team members, will facilitate the storage and access of the oral histories. This repository will be online by June, 2007.
Project Conclusion
The Greater Danbury Oral History Database will be a valuable research tool, enabling faculty, students, and other interested parties to search oral histories by parameters such as topic, name, event and time period.
A conference to be convened at the conclusion of the project will provide an opportunity for participants and the wider university community to share the sum of the project’s accomplishments.