Introduction - Confronting Mass Atrocities in Oral Historical Practice (original) (raw)
Related papers
“Oral History Forum d’histoire orale , 2013
Afterword for a special issue of The Oral History Forum (journal of the Canadian Oral History Association) on the use of oral history in “Confronting Mass Atrocities." This is mainly a reflection on the diversity of perspectives even on basic concepts--especially "testimony" and "trauma"--and the importance of respecting the complexity of these issues, which oral history is especially well situated to do. (Meanwhile, I confess to retelling the "survivor quilt" story re Vietnam vets which I have since learned is apocryphal.)
The Limits of Oral History: Ethics Amid Highly Politicized Research Settings (2011)
In recent years, oral history has been celebrated by its practitioners for its humanizing potential, and its ability to democratize history by bringing the narratives of people and communities typically absent in the archives into conversation with that of the political and intellectual elites who generally write history. And when dealing with the narratives of ordinary people living in conditions of social and political stability, the value of oral history is unquestionable. However, in recent years, oral historians have increasingly expanded their gaze to consider intimate accounts of extreme human experiences, such as narratives of survival and flight in response to mass atrocities. This shift in academic and practical interests begs the questions: Are there limits to oral historical methods and theory? And if so, what are these limits? This paper begins to address these questions by drawing upon fourteen months of fieldwork in Rwanda and Bosnia-Hercegovina, during which I conducted multiple life history interviews with approximately one hundred survivors, ex-combatants, and perpetrators of genocide and related mass atrocities. I argue that there are limits to the application of oral history, particularly when working amid highly politicized research settings.
Oral History and Performance in the Aftermath of Organized Violence: An Epistemological Contribution
2020
Oral History and Performance in the Aftermath of Organized Violence: An Epistemological Contribution. Lisa Ndejuru, Ph.D Concordia University, 2020 Can transdisciplinary, relational research-creation strategies open pathways to wellness, emancipation, and finding one’s voice in a post-colonial context of genocide, war, organized violence, and exile? What are some affordances of performative inquiry, writing as inquiry, and other arts-based pedagogies and practices when applied to oral histories, memory work and sense-making? Can community dialogue, creative storytelling, deep listening help move toward healing in the aftermath of organized violence and traumatic loss, and exile? Can improvisational playback theatre with difficult stories appease the silences, and help defeat intergenerational transmission of the traumas of persecution and genocide and war. As a child and grandchild of survivors of early anti-Tutsi injustices in Rwanda, as a wife and mother, I seek non-professionaliz...
Beyond Testimony and Trauma: Oral History in the Aftermath of Mass Violence (UBC Press, March 2015)
Survivors of terrible events are often portrayed as unsung heroes or tragic victims but rarely as complex human beings whose lives extend beyond the stories they have told. The contributors to Beyond Testimony and Trauma consider other ways to engage with survivors and their accounts based on valuable insights gained from their work on long-term oral history projects. While the contexts vary widely, they demonstrate that – through deep listening, long-term relationship building, and collaborative research design – it is possible to move beyond the problematic aspects of "testimony" to shine a light on the more nuanced lives of survivors of mass violence
The Oral History Interview - a Relationship and Space of Trust
Slovak Ethnology, 2019
The oral history interview is a "multi-layered communicative event". It is a unique, active event, reflective of a specific culture and of a particular time and space. Interviews, more precisely biographical interviews, are the tool I have been using for decades. The relationship between the interviewer and interviewee is, therefore, an essential question for me. I interview people to find out what happened to them, how they felt about it, how they recall it and what wider public memory they draw upon. Focused on the biographical narratives, as well as in-depth and repeated interviews, I have constantly faced ethical and moral questions in accordance with my role as a listener, and as a partner in the interview, but also as a scholar with the goal of using the interview in my scientific work. In my text, I would like to develop Hourig Attarian's inspiring ideas on self-reflexivity, which brings to light the grey zones that we encounter in our work. This is often a difficult and fragile process. It is central to the connections that I create with the interviewees in my projects. These people always affect the course of my work, but also me personally. This balancing act is an exercise. I try to understand my own limits, I try to push my own boundaries, and assess how each of these circumstances impacts my research.