Files
Abstract
This thesis, entitled “An Oral History Narrative of the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County,” has been completed to fulfill Honors requirements for the Department of Communication & Theatre and the University Honors College. The research builds an oral history narrative of the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County and was inspired by Feminist Standpoint Theory to uncover marginalized female voices in the areas of politics and civic engagement. Seven oral histories were conducted and transcribed, then used as a basis for analysis in this project. Narrators were former members and leadership of the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania). The oral history transcripts were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis to identify common themes, then compared to themes identified in analysis of secondary resources covering the League’s national level. Five themes were identified, including the League’s origins as an educational organization, the League’s role as a political, but nonpartisan, organization, criticisms of the League’s lack of diversity, criticisms of the League’s outdated nature, and the League’s mentoring role.