At a time when the long-form biographical interview is being challenged by tight budgets, ‘instant’ social media memory-sharing, and outcomes-focused methodologies, this roundtable discusses the enduring value of the life story.
ABSTRACT: In recent years the primacy of the long life story method - which characterised much of the way oral history was practiced in Europe, North America and Australasia from the 1970s - has been eroded. Relatively few archives, organisations, projects and academic theses now gather in-depth biographical interviews, preferring to collect more focused testimonies for specific purposes and outputs. ‘Instant’ and ‘crisis’ oral history, and short-form social media platforms for sharing experiences and ‘stories’ have proliferated. Funders are increasingly questioning the efficacy of long interviews and there has been little academic debate about the value of the life story for analysis and re-use. National Life Stories at the British Library in London has been a leading advocate for the life story within oral history practice and will publish (summer 2024) a special issue of Oral History Journal [UK] devoted to the role of life story recording in oral history fieldwork, analysis and archiving. This roundtable will explore the benefits of the life story method for interviewees and researchers, and the impact of new technologies such as AI on outputs, access, archiving and analysis. It seeks to revive awareness of and interest in the long-form life story approach to oral history by initiating discussion with roundtable attendees. The panel is also actively seeking at least one additional American practitioner who uses life story techniques to participate and reflect on their work and bring forth comparisons to the UK context.
