Oral History Workshop

The Oral History Workshop was organised on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of April, 2023 as an initiative to sensitise the public consciousness about the importance of Oral History, specially in a land like ours where entire cultures have been inherited orally for as long as they have existed. The workshop addressed the topics of the definition of oral history and its importance, and the processes of recording oral history. It also allowed the discussion of ethical issues related to the recording of oral history, the aspect of memory and its reliability, the archival of oral history, and how it could be disseminated.

The presenters at the workshop, Indira Chowdhury and Saaz Agarwal are experts in the fields of historical and archaeological studies, archival studies and oral history. Indira Chowdhury was the President of the Oral History Association of India between 2013 and 2016, and the President of International Oral History Association during 2014 and 2016. Saaz Agarwal has worked extensively on Sindh, and the body of her work includes biographies, translations, and critical reviews. She also writes a humour column.