The annual meeting of the Oral History Association will be held from 19-22 October 2022 in Los Angeles, United States.

We live in uncertain times. A global pandemic, the escalation of racial violence, attacks on democratic institutions, and a worsening climate crisis put strain on individuals and communities alike, often challenging the ways we understand our present and envision a future.

While the turmoil around us feels out of the ordinary, it is not without precedent. A nation founded on liberty and democracy but simultaneously on settler colonialism and slavery lives in contradiction, the avoidable but very common result of which has been violence, calamity, and instability for generations. Indeed, the present moment rests on these historic imbalances, whether in the ascendancy of authoritarianism and racial nationalism; the movements for Black lives, immigrants’ rights, and climate justice; or the myriad ways chronic inequities have exacerbated the impact of the deadly pandemic. Our present is exceptional, but it also unites us with generations of humanity who have faced their own struggles to endure.

As a worldwide lockdown interrupted the normality of societal life, it served as a palpable reminder of human capabilities and needs. Obliged to shift our family and work lives, we found ways to adapt and maintain. In need of comfort and community, we engaged new modes of communication and connectivity to provide solace and care. Though far too many fell victim to the virus—whether in body or spirit—many more invented ways to nurture and lift up. These collective trials harnessed our creativity and resilience. Naturally, they also compelled us to search for meaning, to reexamine, and, ultimately, to remember.

Call for proposals – deadline 4 March 2022

The Program Committee welcomes an array of interpretations of the conference theme. In the spirit of transformation and adaptation, this year’s session formats are informed by last year’s program committee, who promoted new ways of disseminating the stories we collect and share.

Find out more: www.oralhistory.org/2022-call-for-proposals.

Hosted by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), the 2022 Virtual International Symposium of the Southeast Asia Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (SARBICA) will take place from 15 to 17 November 2022 including a pre-symposium Workshop on 15 November.

The symposium theme is  ‘Preservation & Sustainability: Two Sides Of The Same Coin?’. Preservation is a cornerstone of memory institutions like the archives, while sustainability and sustainable development are the all-important challenges of our times. Partnering both issues in the theme is appropriate and timely. The theme also suggests that there may be differing opinions and perspectives on this link. The Symposium shall provide a venue to raise awareness, gain new perspectives, promote discussions and engage with questions on the intersection between the work of memory institutions, the environment and sustainability.

Expand your networks, and bond with fellow professionals at the events. For more information regarding the registration fees and other details, please visit https://sarbicasymposium2022.nas.gov.sg/.

The New Zealand Oral History Conference will be held from 18-20 November 2022. The Call for Papers closes 1 August 2022.

From taonga tūturu to inherited family possessions material culture plays a fundamental role in symbolizing our expressions of identity and transmitting memory across generations. The term material culture here is taken to include any objects made or modified by a human, from the smallest item of jewellery to large monuments or buildings, and the ways in which these objects are understood and/or given symbolic or other meanings in oral histories. In this conference we hope to explore two major themes. The first concerns the different roles that objects play in the oral histories of iwi, hapu, whānau, or national, family or individual oral history narratives; and the second focuses upon oral histories and material culture in the context of institutions, such as galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (sometimes referred to as the GLAM sector).