ELYSSA FORD
Gender & Sexuality Scholar * Local Historian * Public Historian
Oral History Collections
As a public historian, I am trained in oral history collection, both its benefits and the potential power imbalances in its collection and use. I have led community workshops and trainings on oral history, worked for organizations such as the Arizona Jewish Historical Society and the Nodaway County Historical Society on oral history projects, organized and trained students in oral history work, and conducted my own oral history projects as a researcher.
Agricultural History
Students at Northwest Missouri State University gathered 22 oral history interviews about agriculture in Nodaway County. These interviews include long-time farmers, scholars, and veterinarians. Audio recordings and typed transcripts of each interview are available at the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum's website.
CLICK HERE to explore these oral histories.
Military Projects
Students at Northwest Missouri State University gathered oral history interviews about members of the military at Northwest Missouri State University and members of the community for the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum. These interviews include current and former students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Audio recordings and typed transcripts of the NWMSU interviews are held at the NWMSU library archives and are available for public access by contacting archivist Jessica Vest. The community interviews are housed at the NCHS Museum.
CLICK HERE to explore these oral histories.
Northwest Employees
Students at Northwest Missouri State University gathered oral history interviews with long-time employees and retired faculty members at Northwest Missouri State University. These interviews tell many stories of university life, including women's athletics during the era of Title IX and other periods of transition at the university. Audio recordings and typed transcripts of each interview are held at the NWMSU library archives and are available for public access by contacting archivist Jessica Vest.
CLICK HERE to explore these oral histories.
My Research
My own work as a gender and sexuality scholar of the American West has long been grounded in the practice of oral history. I have recorded dozens of interviews about gay rodeo, Black rodeo, Native American rodeo, Mexican rodeo in the US, rodeo in Hawaii, and more. This collection method has been an important way to gather the stories of people historically ignored by archives, museums, and other institutions of power. My book projects Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion and Slapping Leather are both centered in these oral histories.