As part of TMS’s Summer Open Week of short courses and workshops, I ran an afternoon of oral history training on 17th July. This was aimed at getting people involved in recording the experiences and stories of their communities, and the participants came from wide range of backgrounds and interesting projects.
I have collaborated on the development of the open week as a way to contribute to TMS’s ‘Art, Society, Nature’ motto – bringing some practical sociological skills training to a programme of otherwise artistic workshops.
Blurb
Doing History from Below: Recording and Using Oral Histories
Oral history is a history told from below – from the everyday experiences of those who live through events. The technique developed in the 1960s with radical intent: to go beyond histories of ‘great men’ and the academic establishment, and to record the marginalised or previously unheard stories and voices of communities, individuals and places. It has since become a key tool used by historians, sociologists and creative writers for its ability to capture both the lived realities of the past and present, as well as the magic of storytelling that underpins our cultures. In this workshop, we will explore the ideas and practices that go into recording and making the most of these new voices. We will ask what oral history can do for people, and you will learn the techniques and skills to become an historian of your own communities, families or region. The session will be led by experienced oral historian and sociologist Dr David Nettleingham – Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent and Sociological Fellow at The Margate School.