Columbia Oral History - Incite at Columbia University

Columbia Oral History (COH) is a home for innovative oral history projects, pedagogy, and people.

We are a central part of the intellectual community of Incite, where oral history is a core tool for producing knowledge, building relationships, and creating change.

We see oral history as a critical space for conversations about the past, happening in the present, and oriented towards the future.

Projects

Building on over 75 years of experience as one of the leading oral history programs in the world, our projects use interdisciplinary research designs, deep collaboration, and innovative digital tools to record and archive the most important stories of our times. We have led projects from New Yorkers’ experiences of the Covid pandemic to the history of Juneteenth in Texas, from the Obama presidency to the global history of investigative journalism. Many of our projects, such as Mott Haven History Keepers which supports grassroots oral historians in the South Bronx, engage broad publics.

Pedagogy

We house the Oral History Master of Arts Program, the first and only program of its kind. Using the lively pedagogical approaches we develop there, we offer public and on-demand training, online and in person, one-on-one and for groups of all sizes, ranging from a few hours to a few weeks.

People

Our community is anchored by our over 200 OHMA alumni, our faculty, and our staff. Through our affiliate program - to launch later in 2026 - we will invite students, faculty, and community members to join us. COH affiliates will get priority access to training and support for their oral history projects, including one-on-one consultation with our expert team. Sign up for our mailing list to hear when applications to become a Columbia Oral History Affiliate open!