To approach this oral history process with care and respect to Jung and his culture, I made sure to do ample background research on every topic that could possibly come up in our conversation. Other than this course, I was not very familiar with Korean culture or Korean history so I wanted to be sure not to offend Jung with lack of knowledge. I greatly appreciated Jung taking the time to participate in this project and share his story with the Colby community, so the least that I could do was show the same respect to him, his time, and his culture.
In all my years of education, I have only ever done one oral history project before. I am wondering why these aren’t assigned more often…? I truly find them to be extremely valuable and there are clearly plenty of people with a variety of backgrounds who have stories to tell. I really admire that these interviews feel very natural and raw, especially the unfiltered emotional component. Additionally, many of these stories would otherwise be forgotten, since very few are actually written down. I think people have an easier time being vulnerable about their past when they are talking to someone who they know is actively listening and empathizing with their story. Jung and I did not have a strong relationship before the interview, but as long as the interviewer approaches the situation with respect and care, the interviewee will generally feel comfortable regardless of the prior relationship.
As with all history, it’s important to get a variety of perspectives in order to gain a holistic view of the topic. Since the ages of the interviewees for this project greatly varied, I am excited to listen to the interviews to see how the varying ages affected the perspectives on events that occurred at relatively different points in their lives. I found it really exciting that for my last semester of college, I was able to participate in this oral history project that will be a part of Colby’s archives for years to come. This project was a great way to wrap up my time at Colby and culminate my year of Korean history studies.
—Hadley Murphy on her oral history with Jung Shin