We are seeking contributors for a book of 12 - 15 original essays of approximately 8,500 words in length that investigate how oral history as a particular form of memory work helps shape broader public memory.

Specifically, the book will address the practices of oral historians, both interviewers and narrators, as key players in making histories public, redefining community, and creating historical memory in a variety of forms and media. Each essay is envisioned as both a detailed and reflexive "ethnography of practice" at the local level and also a broader set of reflections upon the way in which the work has affected a group or an individual's historical sensibilities. Because the intended volume will be broadly international in scope, we would like authors to be explicit about the national, regional, and/or local contexts within which they have been working, including the framing concepts for public historical work and the social/institutional forms within which the work under consideration has occurred. We welcome proposals from around the world and especially encourage focused, comparative studies. Coauthored articles, with each author writing from a different national perspective, are also welcomed. Both the proposal and the final essay must be in English. Because we wish the volume to be accessible to a variety of audiences, including oral/public historians working in a variety of contexts and students, we welcome work that is both conceptually sophisticated and written in nonspecialized, jargon-free language.

While we have not yet signed a specific publishing contract, a number of publishers have expressed interest in this volume. Proposals, including identification of the oral history materials/project/product to be discussed and an outline of the argument of the essay, should be sent via e-mail to Paula Hamilton {Paula.Hamilton@uts.edu.au} and Linda Shopes {lshopes@aol.com} by December 1 2001.Once we have finalized the contents of the volume, we will pursue a book contract. Assuming that a contract is in place, draft draft essays will be due July, 2002 and final articles November 1, 2002.