9th International Symposium of the Finnish Oral History Network FOHN

Memory in Movement: Pace, Connection & Introspection

28th–29th November 2024, University of Jyväskylä, Finland (CFP DL 1.6.2024)

The ninth international symposium of the Finnish Oral History Network (FOHN) critically explores the concept of ‘movement’ in relation to oral history and memory studies. ‘Movement’ is defined broadly and inclusively: it can refer to social movements, physical movement, or movement across concrete or conceptual borders. It can be interpreted as the movements that have shaped oral history as a discipline, from its inception to today.

Moreover, the memories oral historians study are constantly in motion, with the present framing people’s recollection and understanding of the past. In this conference ‘movement’ is therefore paired with the notion of ‘pace’, accentuating the importance of temporality for the study of oral history. We invite researchers and practitioners to approach their work from an introspective angle, examining how subjective experiences and social factors impact the speed at which oral history is conducted. We wish to invite contributions involving methodological, analytical, and ethical questions, as well as case studies. Proposals may be submitted for individual papers or panels and can address, but are not limited to, the following themes and topics:

• Social movements and oral history. Does conceptualising researchers as activists challenge established oral history practices?
• The ways in which emotions can move the interviewer and/or responder. What ethical considerations must we account for, when incorporating the study of emotions into oral history and memory studies? How does speed and timing influence how emotions are recorded, analysed, or internalized in our research processes?
• Physical movement, the body and oral history interviewing. For example, how might moving through memorable spaces evoke visceral reminiscences?
• Digital humanities and changes to how we collect, process, and analyse memories. Technology and how it shapes oral history into a reproducible, codable, and ‘fast’ process. How much time do we need to meaningfully connect with our research subjects?
• The pace at which change within oral history has occurred. What connects/distinguishes oral historians working across the decades? Has oral history ‘matured’ into a stable and agreed upon methodology?

The conference offers researchers an interdisciplinary setting in which to connect and present cutting-edge ideas. The conference language will be English.

Important Dates
Proposals for symposium: deadline 1.6.2024
Acceptance of abstract: notice will be sent by 24.6.2024
Speaker registration: no later than 6.9.2024
Audience registration: no later than 22.11.2024

Conference Fees
Standard fee: 40 euro
Fee for FOHN-members: 20 euro
Concession fee (students, unwaged participants): free

https://www.jyu.fi/en/events/fohn-2024-memory-in-movement-pace-connection-introspection