Tension & Strength, Politics & Art: Christopher Allen’s Story of Documentary in Southside, Williamsburg

October 19, 2016 Admin

Christopher Allen speaking at the OHMA Workshop Series in September 2016. Photo credits: Emma Courtland (2016).

In this post, Heather Michael, shares insight from a presentation by Christopher Allen on the intersection between his beliefs about art and politics vis-à-vis the creation of Living Los Sures, a multifaceted, six-year documentary project about the community of Southside, Williamsburg.

On Citizenship, Voice, and Motherhood

October 5, 2016 Admin

In this article, Fanny Garcia (2016) reflects on her path to oral history through her family’s path to naturalization, her transformation of xenophobia through activism, and the recent Central American refugee crisis that spurred her mother to share her story.

From the Outside In: How Christopher Allen Organized a Community-Based Documentary

October 4, 2016 Admin

In this post about Christopher Allen's recent lecture in our 2016-2017 Oral History Workshop Series, current OHMA student Christina Pae (2015) reflects on the importance of collaboration in oral history projects, particularly when an outsider aims to conduct a project within an insular community.

Seeking Collaboration & Building Community: An Origin of the Columbia Oral History Alumni Association

September 26, 2016 Incite Institute at Columbia University

Two years after the formation of the Columbia Oral History Alumni Association (COHAA) Founding President and OHMA Project Coordinator Erica Fugger (2012) reminiscences on the group's origin story—spanning Columbia Center for Oral History Research's move to INCITE to the organic spaces for inter-cohort dialogue that arose amidst our historic interview archives in Butler Library.

Erica discusses the Alumni Association's early organizing efforts, participation in campus demonstrations, and commitment to building networks of support for emerging oral historians.

'Life Begins at Thirty': Writings of a Chinese International Student in OHMA

September 12, 2016 Admin

Haitao Fan is a member of our 2011 cohort. Her recently published book, Life Begins at Thirty (China Machine Press, 2016), profiles her time studying in OHMA and became an instant bestseller in Mainland China. In this post, Haitao reflects on her writing process and commitment to building the oral history movement in China.