Martha Heard Càlig Oral History Project, ca. 1975-2023

Summary

Creators:

Heard, Martha E., 1937-

Abstract:

The Martha Heard Càlig Oral History Project is a collection of interviews beginning in 1988 with the people of Càlig, Castellón, Spain. Interviewees discussed a variety of topics such as contemporary life in a traditionally agricultural village, music, politics, history, and the Spanish Civil War. It also includes Heard's research files on Spanish theater.

Extent:

3.8 Linear feet (4 card file boxes, 7 archives boxes) and 15.3 GB of digital files

Language:

English , Spanish; Castilian .

Preferred citation:

Martha Heard Càlig Oral History Project. MSS 857. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection is comprised of taped oral history interviews conducted by Martha Heard with people of the village of Càlig in Castellón, Spain, as well as transcripts and supporting materials. This material became the basis for two Heard books, Salir del Silencio: Voces de Calig and Voces de cambio: A Cultural Reader as well as many talks. The interviews began in 1988 and were ongoing through approximately 2009, with Heard following up with some of the participants. An index to the oral histories may be found at the beginning of the collection. Additionally, Heard conducted a series of interviews with two anarchists in 1991. The collection also includes one box of Heard's research materials on Spanish theater, the playwright Benito Perez Galdós, and his dramatic play Alma y Vida [The Soul and Life].

Arranged in five series: 1) CÀLIG ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, 2) ANARCHIST INTERVIEWS, 3) SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, 4) SPANISH THEATER AND GALDÓS, AND 5) DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS.

Biographical / historical:

"Martha Heard began listening to stories and taking notes when she first came to Càlig in 1978. In 1988, with a Rockefeller Foundation Summer Grant, she began taping interviews in Càlig about the changes that occurred in the village between 1978 to 1988. The mayor, Agustí Mercé, provided her with fifteen names of gentlemen she could talk to. In addition to those men, she interviewed neighbors and friends. Not only did she find out about improvements in the village, she also learned about traditions, tensions between generations, and some of the difficulties of life during the Franco regime.

In the academic year 1991-1992 she was given a National Endowment for Humanities Award for the project "Seasons and Cycles in a Spanish Village: Today's Voices, Yesterday's Memories." She originally planned to learn about how the village changed during the Franco regime and which traditions had been lost. Quickly she discovered that there were villagers who wanted to talk about the Civil War as well. There were even 90 year-olds who began with their own childhoods and included traditional stories that had been passed on through the generations.

The most recent count is around 142 hours of interviews and about 100 people interviewed since 1988.

Martha learned the history of Càlig through its people because when she began the interviews, she was not familiar with their history. Therefore, she was not influenced by outside sources when she did the interviews. By studying the interviews over the years and consulting more recent publications including government documents from the Franco era, she has been able to place information provided her in an interview in its historical context. Personal and village experiences in the interviews included the build up to the Civil War, the Collective, violence during and after the Civil War, evacuation of the village in 1938, immigration, the Cooperative, generational conflicts, education, agricultural practices and improvements in the village and in living conditions. Many of the interviews have been digitized, transcribed and categorized… along with information sheets have been largely completed."

From a project summary entitled, "Calig Oral History project 2-23-12" in Martha Heard's digital files (digital file 1, folder 3).

The stories collected by Martha Heard became the basis for two books thus far and many talks. Voces de cambio: A Cultural Reader was designed for intermediate level students of Spanish. Salir de silencio: voces de Càlig 1900-1938 was published by Onada Edicions, in July 2013.

Acquisition information:

Acquired 2023

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Alternative form available:

The majority of the tape recordings were digitized prior to their Library acquisition. Digital files, along with supporting documentation such as typed notes, outlines, and transcripts, were arranged by Martha Heard in interview subject subfolders, and may be found in the interview subseries for requesting. Listening/viewing copies may be available for researchers.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Oral histories -- Spain

Places:

Càlig (Spain) -- History -- 20th century
Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Restrictions:

Original media formats are restricted. Listening copies may be available.

Terms of access:

Copyright for materials to which Heard owns copyright has been transferred to the Regents. Other publication rights are held by the creator(s) within the collection.

Preferred citation:

Martha Heard Càlig Oral History Project. MSS 857. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.

Location of this collection:

UC San Diego, Special Collections and Archives

9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0175

La Jolla, CA 92093-0175, US

Contact:

(858) 534-2533

spcoll@ucsd.edu

Website