Report: Making memories and meaning from the 16th IOHA conference in Prague

Abstract

During a hot European summer, I was privileged to attend the 16th biennial International Oral History Conference in Prague in the Czech Republic from 7 to 11 July 2010. With the over-arching theme, 'Between Past and Future: Oral History, Memory and Meaning', the conference hosted several master classes and explored a rich diversity of individual themes in parallel sessions at the University of Economics. These included memories of violence, war, totalitarianism and politics, and memories of family, migration and work. The role of gender in making memories and sexual identities was examined, and aspects of health and healthcare, ecology and disasters, and oral traditions and religion discussed. Sessions on teaching and organising oral history were held, along with explorations of methodological, archival and technological issues. Other themes included oral history and the media, and oral history's role in subculture, folklore and the arts.