Oral History for Social Change
An opportunity for members to join the OHS Regional Networkers at their annual event
Location: Think Tank Museum, Birmingham
Date: Saturday 21st March 10am-4pm
We have a few limited spaces for OHS members to attend this event. Please email Sam Smith or Siobhán Stevenson to book a place.
EVENT OVERVIEW
Join oral historians and heritage professionals for a day of learning, sharing, and networking centred on real-world oral history projects that are attempting to drive social change. This event brings together practitioners to share their experiences, challenges, and successes in using oral history as a tool for community transformation and social impact.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
10:00 – 10:30 | MORNING REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING
Arrival, registration, and informal mingling – Light refreshments provided
10:30 – 10:40 | WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
Introduction: Oral History as a Tool for Social Change – Overview of the day’s program and presenters
10:40 – 11:10 | ORAL HISTORY, NOSTALGIA AND CHANGING FOOD BEHAVIOURS
Sophie Beckett – Public Health Researcher
11:10 – 11:40 | SEEKING THE PIONEERS, BIRMINGHAM AS AN ANTI-RACIST CITY
Jagwant Johal – Birmingham Race Impact Group
11:40 – 12:00 | REFRESHMENT BREAK
Refreshments and networking opportunity
12:00 – 12:30 | WHY HERITAGE MATTERS, BUILDING TRUST THROUGH SHARED STORIES
Jessie Allen – Oral History Researcher & Community Liaison
12:30 – 13:00 | PANEL Q&A
All presenters come together in a panel to answer questions about their projects.
13:00 – 14:00 | LUNCH BREAK
NB. Delegates are asked to bring their own lunch. There are several sandwich shops in the city centre and the on-site Signal Box café has a limited menu.
14:00 – 14:30 | DISCUSS SUGGESTED READING IN GROUPS.
14:30 – 15:30 | ADVANCING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH ORAL HISTORY
In groups RAs and attendees will consider social change in relation to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s principles exploring best practices, challenges, and opportunities for driving social impact and community development.
DISCUSSION PROMPTS (NLHF Principles):
- Saving Heritage
- Protecting the Environment
- Inclusion, Access & Participation
- Organisational Sustainability
1. Impact and Outcomes
Reflecting on today’s presentations and your own experience, what unexpected ways can oral history projects observe NLHF principles and lead to social change? Which of the principles above did their projects demonstrate?
2. Challenges and Solutions
What was the biggest obstacle to translating oral histories into action for social change, and how could this be highlighted and navigated in future projects?
3. Collaboration and Community Ownership
How did the projects build genuine partnership with the communities whose stories they documented? What practices helped ensure the project’s served their needs and priorities rather than just telling stories?
15:30 – 16:00 PM | CLOSING REMARKS
Moving Forward Together
Reflections on the day and next steps for RAs
AFTERNOON SESSION READING
Jennings, Judith. “Helen Matthews Lewis: Oral History and Social Change in Appalachia.” In Radical Roots: Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism, edited by Denise D. Meringolo, 53–74. Amherst College Press, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.12366495.6.
FURTHER SUGGESTED READING
- Melvin, Kate. “‘You Live the Moment with the Person Telling Your Story’: Young People and Oral History in National Lottery Heritage Fund Projects.” Oral History 49, no. 2 (2021): 122–27. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48670163.
- Matthews, Jodie. “Romani Pride, Gorja Shame: Race and Privilege in the Archive.” Oral History 49, no. 2 (2021): 57–68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48670158.
- Smith, Graham. “Oral History in Higher Education in Britain, c. 1969-2021: Historical Perspectives, Future Challenges and Opportunities.” Oral History 50, no. 1 (2022): 104–14. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48670184.
