Submitted by Rick Aguilar
on
At the 59th Annual Conference of the Oral History Association (OHA, October 15–18 in Atlanta, Georgia), themed “Exploring Our American Stories,” Dr. Melike Yücel Koç from MELC's Turkish and Ottoman Studies Program, joined a national gathering of scholars, practitioners, and community historians to explore how oral histories shape the evolving meanings of American identity. Dr. Yücel Koç presented her paper, “Reimagining American Identity through Immigrant Narratives,” on a panel that examined the intersections of memory, migration, and belonging within oral history practice. Other presentations of the panel titled "Oral History of Immigrants" and moderated by Dr. Jenna Heath were Shilpi Malinowski and Dr. Agata Zborowska.
Drawing from her ongoing Turkey in Seattle Oral History Project, Dr. Yücel Koç explored how first- and second-generation immigrants articulate and negotiate American identity in their personal narratives. Her research highlights the ways in which these stories challenge static or monolithic ideas of “Americanness,” instead revealing complex processes of hybridity, adaptation, and cultural continuity. Her presentation emphasized that immigrant narratives do not merely supplement the story of America, they actively reshape it. By tracing oral histories across generations, she demonstrated how themes of displacement, community, and transformation generate new frameworks for understanding identity in a plural society. She also reflected on the ethical dimensions of working with immigrant voices and the potential of oral history to center marginalized experiences and expand collective memory.
Dr. Yücel Koç plans to bring aspects of this work into community outreach projects and future collaborations on immigrant heritage and storytelling.