Problems and Solutions of Methodology

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Problems (and Solutions) of Methodology

Due to the nature of Woman’s Words, a review symposium was recommended to the Oral History Review instead of a normal book review. The reviews were done by three scholars (though not all are historians), George Lipsitz, Susan Armitage, and Gary Mormino. Lipsitz states that “relentless self-criticism” enables the authors to realize how feminist oral history often enforces the hierarchy it is so desperately trying to challenge. Through this realization though, the authors are better equipped to “redeem” feminist oral history and develop better understandings of “communication, culture, and power.”³⁰ Mormino had a slightly different take on the book. He states that although the book is important, he is “troubled” by the idea of “empowering groups and individuals” as this may say more about the interviewer than the interviewee. Armitage sees the book as almost a “how-not-to-do” oral history as it is extremely critical and reflexive. She states that the book “raises serious issues of theoretical, practical, and ethical concern” but the authors acknowledge and aim to deal with these problems.³¹