Life history and life writing research uses life story - whether in the form of oral history, personal narrative, autobiography or biography - as a primary source for the study of history and culture.
Life history and life writing research uses life story - whether in the form of oral history, personal narrative, autobiography or biography - as a primary source for the study of history and culture. Life stories capture the relation between the individual and society, the local and the national, the past and present and the public and private experience. Research involves grappling with theories of memory, relationship and self representation, and with debates about literacy and orality. Many disciplines contribute to the field, including history, sociology, anthropology, literary philosophy, cultural studies and psychology. Life history and life writing researchers present their work in many forms. As well as academic publications, we contribute to radio and television documentaries, auto/biographical drama, reminiscence work, digital and video presentations and exhibitions. Life history and life writing research is, of necessity, concerned with ethics and power relationships, and with the potential for advocacy and empowerment.
CLHLWR Director becomes patron of QueenSpark Books
Dr Margaretta Jolly, Director of the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research and University of Sussex academic and oral historian, has become a patron of Brighton community publisher QueenSpark Books.
- Read the full news story
- 'Brighton Transformed': Capturing the lives of local transgender people, a new QueenSpark books project
Corporate Voices: Institutional and Organisational Oral Histories
Fulton Building, University of Sussex, 5-6 July 2013
Keynote speakers: Bruce Weindruch, Founder & CEO of The History Factory, USA, and Professor AbdelAziz EzzelArab, Director of the Economic and Business History Research Center Oral Histories Collection at The American University of Cairo
Full programme and booking form
What is the business of oral history? What is the relationship between oral history and business? Why have institutions and businesses wanted to record their histories? And how have they used their oral history?
This conference opens up our traditional focus on community and domestic lives to explore the hidden histories of private companies and business, public institutions, hospitals, universities, museums, public utilities, local and national governmental, campaigning bodies and charities. We would like to hear about what interviews with those who work in institutions and organisations tell us about organisational history and memory, the institutional or educational community, and more.
Updates
- Hearing Her: New Feminist Oral Histories, 11 April 2013 [PDF 288.77KB]
- Silver Action at the Tate Modern, 3 February 2013: Open call
- Honouring Mary McIntosh, 1936-2013 at Lesbian Lives conference, 15-16 February 2013
- Hospital memories brought back to life
- Mass Observation anniversary conference: call for papers
- The University of Sussex Oral History project and the story of the Meeting House
- Sisterhood and After: The Women's Liberation Oral History Project
