Elena Foulis speaks during the Latinx Oral History Lab Speaker Series at Arizona State University’s Labriola National American Indian Data Center. Photo by Alyssa Thornhill/Arizona State University.

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the Latinx Oral History Lab in Arizona State University’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) hosted Elena Foulis, associate professor and director of Spanish language studies at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, for a lecture titled “Embodied Encuentros: Ethical Approaches to Working with Latina/o/e Communities in the U.S.” 

The talk was part of the Latinx Oral History Lab’s new speaker series, which highlights ethical, community-centered scholarship and advances the lab’s mission of amplifying Latinx voices across Arizona and beyond. The event also aligned with ASU’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, underscoring the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence.

Foulis is a scholar, oral historian and public humanities advocate whose research focuses on Latino/a voices, identity and linguistic practices. She directs the Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio project, has co-edited “Working en Comunidad: Service-Learning and Community Engagement with U.S. Latinas/os/es,” and is host and producer of the “Latin@ Stories” podcast. Her forthcoming book, “Embodied Encuentros: Oral History Archives of Latinas/os/es Experiences,” will be published in spring 2026.

Centering community, not extraction

A mix of ASU undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff gathered in Hayden Library’s Labriola National American Indian Data Center to hear Foulis. From the outset, Foulis encouraged attendees to rethink oral history as more than an interview technique. “We have to understand who our community is,” she said. “Even if you think you know, it’s important to enter with humility. Every community has its own practices, vulnerabilities and strengths.”

She described her work in Ohio and Texas, where she has trained students to conduct oral histories with Latinx communities. For her, building trust is central. “I use the word ‘comunidad’ because for the Latinx community, it’s more than just coming together. It’s a family-like relationship built on trust, friendship and belonging.”

Foulis cautioned against extractive practices in research. “Too often, projects are brief or transactional,” she explained. “Ethical work takes time. We build long-term relationships that are mutually beneficial. What’s in it for the community as well as the researcher?”

Embodied encuentros

Her concept of “embodied encuentros” underscores oral history as a lived, shared experience. “Recording words is just the foundation,” she said. “Embodied encuentros means being fully present, listening to understand, and co-creating a space where narrators feel respected and safe.”

She recalled moments when interviews took unexpected turns. A simple question such as “Who do you most respect?” sometimes brought narrators to tears. “I wasn’t prepared for those emotions at first,” she observed. “But I learned to pause, to wait, to give people space. That’s part of the responsibility we have.”

For Foulis, consent is never a one-time signature on a form. It is ongoing. “Narrators have the freedom to retract their story, to stop the interview, to decide later they don’t want it public. That’s shared ownership,” she said.

Language and cultural humility

Language is also central to Foulis’ practice. She emphasized the importance of letting narrators use whichever language — Spanish, English or both — feels most natural. “You will get more out of an interview if you share linguistic practices with your narrator,” she said. “Otherwise, find another way to participate — be the note-taker, the photographer. Respect the language.”

This approach, she explained, models cultural humility. “Having a PhD doesn’t make me an expert on someone else’s lived experience. Listening is the expertise,” she said.

Students as collaborators

Foulis also spoke about involving her students as partners in oral history work. In Ohio, they accompanied her to interviews and were credited as collaborators in the archives. At times, students’ own identities were reshaped through the process. “One of my students found her own sense of place in the community through doing oral histories,” Foulis said. “These projects benefit not only narrators, but also the students who listen.”

She underscored the value of reciprocity — whether through giving narrators copies of interviews, creating bilingual resources or inviting them to public presentations. “There’s far more to oral history than just documenting and archiving,” she said. “Success requires sustaining relationships and giving back.”

“To listen and to learn”

By the end of the lecture, several in the audience reflected on the power of ethical oral history to reshape both research and community engagement. Foulis left them with a reminder: “Our communities are rich sources of knowledge. Oral history done ethically allows us to honor that knowledge, to listen and to learn.”

Foulis’ visit to ASU reinforced the Latinx Oral History Lab’s goal of elevating stories of real people. As Foulis said, “When we approach these encounters with humility and care, they become opportunities for transformation — for the narrator, the researcher and the community alike.”

The event was co-sponsored by ASU’s School of International Letters and Cultures, Hispanic Research Center, Office of Inclusive Excellence, El Concilio, Multicultural Communities of Excellence and Labriola National American Indian Data Center.

The next talk in the Latinx Oral History Lab Speaker Series will feature Jennifer R. Nájera, professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside, discussing her book “Learning to Lead: Undocumented Students Mobilizing Education” on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at noon in the Agribusiness Center on ASU’s Polytechnic campus.

The Latinx Oral History Lab, nestled within CISA at ASU, stands as a beacon of cultural storytelling and academic excellence. In alignment with ASU's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), its mission is to amplify Latinx voices from the East Valley and beyond, capturing the rich tapestry of experiences that form the core of our community's narrative.

The lab is more than a repository of tales; it is a crucible where storytelling is honored as both an art and a science. Co-directed by esteemed scholars Associate Professor and Assistant Vice Provost of the Polytechnic campus Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez and Assistant Professor Rafael Martínez, the lab is a collaborative effort that stitches together the past and present to inspire a more inclusive future.