Skip to main content

Topics: Personal stories, memories and self-narration.

The workshop doesn’t directly address genderrelated terms, altough it can be a very useful tool for self-narration (self-narration, in the Tigri project, is viewed as a form of autobiographical expression through artistic forms/creative practices, that focus on the self and on the construction of identity, mostly through a reflection on the inner workings of memory and lived experiences and how the latter is deeply entangled with the sense of who we are. Self-narration is an evocative expression that allows the idea of subjectivity and of introspection) and empowering young women to speak up. By the definition, oral history is a method of conducting interviews, most often for the purposes of historical research, between an interviewee with personal experience of historically significant events and an interviewer, with the goal of adding to the historical record. In this way, the methodology can be useful for gathering information and testimonies from women who witnessed important historical events and thus can help to tell women’s history and their perception of certain events and phenomena in society. This methodology directly provides space for women to (publicly) talk about things that are important to them.

By: Irena Čučković

Time: 2 hours.

Artistic Method

The workshop consists of two parts – theoretical and practical work. In the first part, through a presentation, participants are introduced to the basics of oral history methodology, the interviewing process, technical aspects, ethical issues, and the like. In the second part of the workshop, the participants through a one-hour practical work, in groups of two, make an interview simulation applying the learned methodology. At the end of the practical part, space was left for additional questions and comments from the participants.

Goals

The goal of the activity is to provide youth workers with a new tool in their work with young women, but at the same time it can also serve them in their work with other social groups. The goal of applying this methodology in the work of youth workers after the end of the project is reflected in the possibility that they can give young women the opportunity to tell their side of the recent historical events that they experienced.

Required for this session

Sticky notes and pens, laptop and projector, optionally recording equipment (mobile phones will be enough), Power Point presentation prepared in advance.

Activity breakdown:

  • Introduction with the participants.
  • Presentation – introduction with the concept of oral history; interviewing
    process; practical tips for working in the field; recording techniques;
    ethical issues; examples of good practice; use of the material in art; use
    of the method in youth work with women; Q&A.
  • Practical work – simulation of interviews between participants.

Wrap up:

Finally, it should be noted that the methodology of oral history, in addition to the purpose of collecting material for research purposes, can be a valuable source of material for later artistic processing. True human stories collected in this way can become inspiration for the creation of performances, plays, music, poetry, visual installations and so on.