When ‘life story’ becomes ‘life history’ - an oral history approach.

When: Wednesday, 8 May 2024 - 10:00 am - 11:30 am AEST (GMT+10) No daylight saving

Where: Online event

Limit: 40

When ‘life story’ becomes ‘life history’ - an oral history approach.

Presenter: Dr Maree Ganley

Oral history is the collection of stories and reminiscences of people who have firsthand knowledge of any number of experiences. The starting point of Maree’s latest work, The Long Road to School, Sea Pictures of a Convent Boarding School, was the collection of life stories that she gathered. The work is in keeping with qualitative research methodology, with multiple approaches and types of oral history. There is an extensive pedagogy behind oral history and gathering personal recollections.

Oral history extends the boundaries of traditional history.

Maree has approached the task of establishing a continuous and cohesive record of 140 years of diocesan history under the main threads and themes of origin, engagement, leadership and culture. These elements are viewed firstly through the lens of ‘public memory’ in archives, library shelves, newspapers and academic discourse. Secondly, there is ‘personal memory’ or oral history of the personal recollections of religious beliefs and practices of people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, as a diversity of experiences, perspectives, interpretations and subjectivities.

Our speaker: Dr Maree Ganley