Invitation to an oral history voyage 2025
Dr Angela Maye-Banbury
Emeritus Fellow Oral History. Founder Oral History Made Easy. Founder & Chairperson Achill Oral Histories. Academic Leader. Oral history matters because everyone deserves to be remembered.
“The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
{Marcel Proust}.
Where will your oral history journey take you in 2025? Might an important event in your community, such as a centenary or anniversary, mark your own beginning as an oral historian? Perhaps you are interested in focusing on one particular group of people whose voices have been repressed in the past. Or how about an immersive history fused with voices, music and art?? The choice is yours! The global oral history community is tremendously collegiate so, in addition to Oral History Made Easy, you will have an established community of practice close who will support you on your journey Colin Hyde Oral History Network of Ireland Oral History Association Oral History Society Columbia University Oral History Master of Arts Program
The versatility of oral history never ceases to amaze me. A quick?scan on Google Scholar earlier this week revealed to me that in the first two weeks alone of 2025, a total of 997 peer reviewed studies have been published involving oral history. Using the device of ‘collective reflection’, Khan (2025) shows how the work of five pioneering women involved in work related to Pakistan’s Constitution of 1973. The oral histories recorded by Grant et al (2025) highlight the lived experiences of Black male nurse leaders and how they overcame obstacles to rise to influential positions in the profession. Twelve challenges posed when reliant on memory work in the digital formed the basis of Chaithanya ?(2025) timely text. I have barely scratched the surface.
With every new year comes new beginnings. I very much hope that this year is the year you decide to take your journey in oral history further. Oral history is a people’s history. It allows us to give a voice to those whose accounts of the ‘extraordinary ordinary’ aspects of everyday life have been marginalised or in many cases, ignored entirely.
Make 2025 the year you become an oral historian! I warmly invite you to join me later this month for a special free preview of 'Oral History Made Easy - The Six Steps To Success' Programme. This unique online training and mentorship programme is designed to transform participants from novice to proficient oral historian using easy to follow actionable steps. In short, we ‘take the mystery out of oral history.’
During this lively online sessions, we'll explore why oral history is more important than ever. You will have the chance to share your ideas for your oral history project with likeminded people and there will be plenty of time to ask questions. Places for each briefing are limited to 25 to safeguard your quality of experience. So do book early to avoid disappointment. I really hope you come away from the session feeling inspired to take your interest in oral history further.
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There are two special course preview events for you to choose from, both bookable on Eventbrite: It would be great to see you there.
I really hope I have the pleasure of your company on either 27th or 31st Jan 2025.
Best wishes
Angela?
Chaithanya, V. (2025). 12 Challenges of Using Memory as a Tool in Oral Historiography. Memory Studies in the Digital Age: An Interdisciplinary Perspective.
Grant, E., Cary Jr, M. P., Jones, M., Glymph, D., & Akintade, B. F. (2025). ‘State of Black men in nursing: An oral history of the challenges and the benefits of five Black male nurse leaders.’ Nursing Outlook, 73(1), 102316.
Khan, M. S. (2025). ‘Written Out of History: Collective Reflection with Oral History Narrators on Pakistan’s Women Constitution-Makers’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 1-16.