What We Are
The OU Listening Project - An Oral History Initiative is a collaboration between OU students, faculty, alumni, and Oklahoma community members to memorialize the myriad histories of OU and of local communities.
The stories of individual Oklahomans and their communities are what make this place great; oral history interviews document these stories for posterity and foster appreciation for the diversity of experiences and events that constitute OU.
Shaped by a philosophy of community-centered archiving, the project seeks specifically to empower communities (of OU stakeholders and those living in local Oklahoma communities) in the process of preserving their own histories
OUr History
There are two main goals of OU Listening Project - An Oral History Initiative:
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To document the history of the university and of its various stakeholders, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, and concerned community members.
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To train student and faculty interviewers to work with discrete communities throughout the state and further afield to document their own histories or events.
Faculty mentors, OU Honors students, and Undergraduate/Graduate Research Assistants trained in oral history methodologies, ethics, and techniques conduct oral history interviews, which are made available online and through the digital collections of various local stakeholders. The Project enables course-based and extracurricular research experiences for students- including, using the university archives, conducting and preserving interviews, presenting at conferences, and publishing their findings.
Who We Are
Dr. Andreana Prichard has been working in oral history since 2007. As an historian, her first two books rely heavily on a mix of oral historical methodologies and more traditional archival methodologies. In 2024, Prichard founded the OU Listening Project. Inspired by the methodology's roots as a tool and platform for advancing social justice.
The project takes an approach of community-centered archiving, which means that the projects of the OU Listening Project come into being through collaborative partnerships with communities. Traditionally, oral history is a medium that centers the person who is telling their story, which makes it an ideal methodology for amplifying the stories of individuals and communities who have been marginalized, disenfranchised, or harmed.
Voice of Witness has described this process as 'forcing space' for these marginalized voices to be heard." The projects are all narrator-centric, moving on a timeline and in a direction that reflects the development of strong trust relations and power-sharing practice. Adhering to the Oral History Association's social justice guidelines, OULP projects develop and move "at the speed of trust," empowering the narrator and securing their power and protection.
OUR LOGO
This logo elegantly intertwines the rich heritage of Oklahoma with the power of storytelling. The scissor-tailed flycatcher, a symbol of Oklahoma’s natural beauty, soars above a vintage microphone, representing the preservation and sharing of oral histories.
The surrounding plants, gently growing upward, embody the journey of discovering one’s roots and ancestry, highlighting the connection between past and present. Together, these elements create a harmonious emblem that celebrates both the regional identity and the timeless tradition of passing down stories through generations.
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