CMAS Oral History Collaborative Fellowship

CMAS/Voces Oral History Collaborative Fellowship

This initiative is intended for the researcher who wishes to fast-track their oral history work on a project about the Latina/o/x experience in the U.S. The interviews will follow protocols developed by the Voces Oral History Center. The Multiple Individual Interview Sessions (MIIS) methodology has been applied to various topics/populations to conduct up to 15 individual interviews over two days. See Voces’ YouTube Channel for examples such as Voces of Documentary Film, Voces of Mariachi. The Fellow will lead a team of interviewers, helping to train them, developing a questionnaire, and then conducting three of the 15 interviews. CMAS/Voces will provide the Fellow with interview documentation, raw transcripts of the interviews, and access to copies of the interviews to facilitate research. Interviews will be conducted either in Austin or on location. CMAS/Voces staff will coordinate all aspects of the MIIIS.  

The interviews will be housed at the world-renowned Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection on the UT-Austin campus, as part of the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) oral history collection.

Eligibility:

• Must have at least 2 years of experience conducting oral history interviews 

• Must have some record of publishing oral histories research

• Institutional affiliation not necessary 

• Must be able to devote considerable time to the planning and execution of the project 

*Must be a U.S. citizen  

Duties:

• Participate in regular planning meetings (monthly at first and then more frequently later in the process) in advance of the interviews 

• Coordinate a trip for CMAS/Voces staff to scout appropriate interview locations and meet local interviewees 

• Assist in Zoom training of interviewers 

• Develop a questionnaire, with assistance from the CMAS/Voces staff 

• Identify and invite up to 15 in-person interviewees 

• Recommend potential interviewers 

• Conduct three of these interviews 

• Produce a journal article for the annual peer-reviewed US Latina & Latino Oral History Journal within six months of the interview session. Submission guidelines.

Interviews:

• May be conducted anywhere in the US

Criteria:

• Topic must center on an aspect of the Latino experience in the U.S. 

• May center on topics that have been the focus of previous oral histories but should offer substantially new dimensions 

• Must advance research in a significant way

To Apply, Submit Here.

• A research proposal, no longer than 10 pages, outlining the following:
  • the reason for centering research on this population
  • what, if any, other oral histories exist about this topic, and their findings
  • what, if any, work you have already conducted on this topic, and those findings
  • how a collaborative interview session will advance your research
• A CV, or resumé
• The names of three references who are familiar with your oral history work

Deadline:

• 11:59 p.m CST, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 

• Interviews must be conducted between May 13 and August 19, 2024

FAQs:

• Will the Fellow be paid? An honoraria of $2,500 will be provided to the chosen applicant, as part of their work in training interviewers, planning and coordinating various related work, and conducting interviews.