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Columbia Oral History
Columbia Oral History
A home for innovative oral history projects, pedagogy, and practitioners since 1948.
Home for innovative oral history projects.
We see oral history as a critical space for conversations about the past, happening in the present, and oriented towards the future.
Pedagogy
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go to the Oral History Master of Arts project
Oral History Master of Arts
A one-year interdisciplinary degree training students in oral history method and theory.
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go to the Oral History Summer Institute project
Oral History Summer Institute
A bi-annual meeting of oral historians, scholars, activists, and others for advanced training in the theory and practice of oral history.
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go to the Workshops & Consulting project
Workshops & Consulting
One-on-one consultations, remote introductory and intensive trainings, in-person workshops.
Philosophy
Our work focuses on the life history approach in order to connect biography with its larger social context. Inclusive biographies offer us insights into the full life of the person and thereby provide a glimpse into the evolution of society, as well as the individual person, in defining the context for later social and political actions.
Featured Projects
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go to the The Elders Project project
The Elders Project Capturing the stories of elders who have shaped America—from Civil Rights activists to tribal leaders to survivors of Stonewall—before they’re lost to history. -
go to the Movements Against Mass Incarceration project
Movements Against Mass Incarceration
Building the United States' first archive to center the political ideas and movement-building of incarcerated people.
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go to the Obama Presidency Oral History project
Obama Presidency Oral History
Creating a comprehensive oral history of the Obama years with over 450 officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.
Latest news
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go to As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Mar 1, 2026
As Columbia unveils official oral history of President Barack Obama, CC ’83, project leaders reflect on how they captured his ‘transformational presidency’
Originally published in the Spectator, Columbia University student Joseph Zuloaga writes about Columbia's role in the Obama Presidency Oral History.
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go to Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump
Feb 16, 2026
Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump
The New Yorker reviews Incite's Obama Presidency Oral History through the lens of the current Trump administration, calling it a "stark and extensive reminder of the values and the principles that are being trampled."