The National Archives of Singapore, an institution of the National Library Board, are your hosts for the XXI International Oral History Association (IOHA) Conference in 2021.
The theme of the conference is Harmony & Disharmony: Bringing Together Many Voices.
At the core of oral history is a desire for a more complex and nuanced understanding of the world around us. While we value each oral account as unique, personal and subjective, bringing together many voices – whether in agreement or disagreement – allows greater meaning to be gleaned, refined and accumulated. Oral history teaches us to be considerate and empathetic to different voices and perspectives. What does this mean in the context of oral history taking root in more places and different cultures around the world? Where it is used in more and different contexts and disciplines? Aided and even led by changing technologies? Presented in different forms and bearing multiple uses? This conference invites papers which shed light on the growing diversity, multidimensionality and interdisciplinary applications of oral history.
As the IOHA conference enters Southeast Asia for the first time, the theme is also an invitation for reflection by the international oral history community to consider how we can help and support one another through friendships, networks and alliances.
Our panels and presentations will be structured around the following sub-themes:
- Oral history, culture and community
- Oral history, ethics and the law
- Oral history and the arts
- Oral history and technology
- Oral history and politics
- Oral history and business
- Oral history and sports
- Oral history and conflict
- Oral history and indigenous communities
- Inter- and cross-disciplinary applications of oral history (journalism, therapy, etc.)
- Comparative studies of oral history