sNAPAshots: Elisha Oliver

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Transcript

Interviewer 0:00
[On Screen sNAPAshots Logo] Welcome to sNAPAshots conversations with professional practicing and applied anthropologists.

0:12
[On Screen Text] Elisha Oliver. Executive Director, Texas Folklife

Elisha Oliver 0:22
As a child, I was always drawn to storytelling. I would just hang on to every word of whether it was somebody reading a story in school, whether it was sitting around the kitchen table at home listening to probably conversations that I should not have been listening to or whether it’s just being on my grandmother’s porch, even within song. And I tell people that, you know, I probably attended every denomination of church and religious institution that you could think of, but there was this power of storytelling. And I grew up understanding that stories were they were just more than entertainment, and they were lessons, they were histories, they were the ways in which we identify, and that there were survival tools within these stories. And so I vividly recall sitting on my grandmother’s porch in rural Oklahoma, and I was listening to her recount some of our family histories of what that looked like, from moving from from Mexico through Texas and to now being in Oklahoma. And she was talking about some of the travels, and she was recounting some of the family histories and some of the cultural traditions that you know, weren’t always found in a fairy tale or a book. And I recall that in it, that just that fascination was storytelling, and it instilled in me, like this profound respect for the ways in which people communicate identity, the ways in which they communicate their histories, their resilience through storytelling. And so now, as both a bio cultural anthropologist and an executive director for Texas Folklife, I see my work as a continuation of those childhood lessons of that power of storytelling, of that documenting and preserving and amplifying voices through story.

Interviewer 2:34
[On Screen Text] How did you get interested in anthropology?

Elisha Oliver 2:34
I first became interested in anthropology at a career change in my life, moving from a public school teacher and that was going to be an empty nester, and was looking for something that spoke to my interest. I had a deep curiosity about what connects us all as humans, our stories, our struggles, the ways in which we navigate the world. And so my my journey, kind of begin with that. I was reminded of this deep passion and curiosity that I’ve I’ve had held about health disparities and what that looked like in underserved communities. And so I wanted to understand not only the structural challenges that existed, but the cultural and historical narratives that shaped health outcomes. And so as I was beginning to think about what a second career would look like, anthropology entered my life, and I’ve been here ever since.

Interviewer 3:25
[On Screen Text] What is one thing about the practice of anthropology that nobody told you as a student?

Elisha Oliver 3:44
There is, in some ways, an emotional entanglement, and when I think about anthropology and beginning to go out and do field work, and having my mentors or advisors say this is what field work is like. You’re going to go into communities and you’re going to document, you’re going to observe, but they never told me about sometimes the emotional entanglement that happened. You know, as a practicing anthropologist, I work in communities or am in communities that I learned that this is just not about studying people or studying the cultures, it’s about being in relationship with them, and with that, there comes this absence of neutrality sometimes, and that is the one thing that I don’t think that I was fully prepared for I know one of my very first research projects was I wanted to study or go and find out what the health disparities were in an unhoused community and mentors would say, “No, you can’t do that… it’s dangerous.” And I said, “Well, I’m going to live on the street for two weeks in this one particular area in the southern sector of Dallas, as an unhoused person.” And it was, it was, you know, rough. No one would talk to me those very first few days. And I would go back to my mentor, and I said, “How am I presenting myself?” And she was like, “Well, what are you wearing?” And then we would work through these these challenges, but over the course of those two weeks, I began to develop these relationships and listening to the stories that were being shared with me, and I was able to reflect on some of my own lived experiences, and that is one of the things that has never…that I wasn’t prepared for then, as a very young anthropologist, and even now as a more senior seasoned anthropologist, I’m never fully prepared for the emotional entanglements that that can come…that sometimes come about from engaging in field work or working in communities we’re trained to observe and analyze cultures with a sense of professional detachment, sometimes, but in reality, the stories that we encounter, they and the relationships that we build, they often uncover this kind of entanglement, or these intertwining experiences that are very relevant within our own lives.

Interviewer 6:24
[On Screen Text] What moment changed the way you practice anthropology?

Elisha Oliver 6:29
I would say that one particular moment stands out. I was doing some field work in rural Oklahoma, and I was working with a group of women that were in this very small rural community, and I was listening to elders recount their stories about midwifery, birth traditions, some of the cultural narratives that related to illnesses. And they were just sharing their their rich, very rich narratives about the history and resilience and some of the cultural memory that was there around birthing and birthing practices. And at one point I was I was listening, and I was really, you know, engrossed with what was being shared. And I think at that point I had stopped jotting field notes, and I was listening to one community elder, and she just stopped and she says, Well, what are you going to do with our stories? And it kind of like shook me, and I thought about that, and it just wasn’t about the documentation. I not only what are you, what are you jotting these notes down? About it was, what are you going to do with those stories? And it was about responsibility, and it made me realize that anthropology just wasn’t about observing and recording. It was very much about reciprocity. It was about ethical engagement. It was about ensuring that communities benefit from the work that was being done. And from that moment on, my approach to anthropology was not only as a discipline, but just as kind of this source of advocacy. It was an act of advocacy. And I’m always reminded of, what are you going to do with our stories, whether I’m engaged in in field work or working with others and mentoring others who are about to embark on field work, is to remind them, what are you going to do with those stories? Because they’re more than stories.

Interviewer 8:25
[On Screen Text] What advice would you give to future anthropologists seeking roles in applied fields?

Elisha Oliver 8:36
When I think about emerging anthropologists or future anthropologist, my advice to those that are entering this professional setting that are going to be practicing and applied anthropologists is really to remain deeply committed to communities that…and I say serve because I identify as a servant leader, so remain deeply committed to those communities that that you serve. Never lose sight of ethical responsibility. Never, ever. And then when you think about the work that we do, is that practicing anthropologists, it’s more than just research. It’s about reciprocity. It’s about advocacy. It’s ensuring that cultural narratives are not just documented or observed, that they’re valued and that they are they’re sustained. And I would encourage emerging anthropologists, those that are going to be doing applied work, practicing anthropologists to embrace interdisciplinary collaboration. I know sometimes that’s frowned upon, but whether you’re working in folklore, like I find myself the folk and traditional arts with Texas folklife, or you’re working in public health or education. Education or technology or community development, those young anthropologists will find that anthropology is one of the most powerful…it’s tools. It’s really powerful when it intersects with other fields, and I would encourage emerging anthropologists to be receptive to that, to be open to new methodologies, to be open to new technological tools, to be receptive to the power of storytelling and creative storytelling approaches that will elevate the voices of those communities that we serve.

Credits 10:38
PRODUCED BY Niel Tashima Cathleen Crain Joshua Liggett DIRECTED BY Reshama Damle EDITED BY Whitney Margaritis MUSIC VIA PIXABAY: “GOODNIGHT LOFI COZY CHILL MUSIC” by FASSOUNDS, “LOFI GIRL” by SNOOZYBEATS

Interviewer 10:38
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Credits 10:48
[On Screen Text] Many Thanks to NAPA’s Governing Council for supporting sNAPAshots. NAPA is a section of the Anthropological Association.

Volunteer Plug 10:59
[On Screen Images] Starbursts with the words: Social Media, Organization, Promotions, and Events. [On Screen Text] Want to volunteer with NAPA? We’d love to hear from YOU! Contact: ntashima@ltgassociates.com

AAP Plug 10:38
[On Screen Text] Stay connected with 40 Years of The Annals of Anthropological Practice. [On Screen Image] AAP Cover Page. [On Screen Text] https://practicinganthropology.org/communicate/submit-to-the-annals/

10:38
sNAPAshots

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