2024 OHA Biennial Conference

The Power of Oral History—Risks, Rewards & Possibilities

Conference home

Welcome to the conference website of the 2024 Oral History Australia Biennial Conference. Oral History Australia is hosting the conference jointly with Oral History Victoria in the historic and culturally-rich city of Naarm/Melbourne.

Melbourne CBD and the Yarra River. Image credit: Visit Victoria, creator Jim Zapsalis – Walking Perspective

About the conference

Our conference theme ‘The Power of Oral History—Risks, Rewards & Possibilities’ taps into the many powerful features of oral history practice including the potential to evoke powerful emotions, bring forth new voices and engage new audiences through multimedia.

Our conference welcomes participants who use oral history in their work across the many fields and disciplines that contribute to community, professional and academic histories. We welcome presenters from Victoria and around Australia, from across the Tasman and throughout the oral history world, from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds. We seek to showcase individual presentations, workshops, performances, roundtables, and thematic panels.

Keynote speaker

Our keynote speakers include the legendary Alessandro Portelli. Over more than 50 years, Alessandro has been one of the most influential oral historians in the world. His keynote is titled ‘Bread and Labor: The Lost and Found Humanity of Giuseppe Di Porto, Auschswitz Survivor. A twice-told tale.’.

Find out more about Alessandro Portelli’s keynote address on our Presenters page.

The venue

Join us in the city of Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Our conference venue is the state-of-the-art Trinity College Gateway Centre on the campus of the University of Melbourne, in inner city Parkville, close to cafes, restaurants, parks, public transport and accommodation. The venue is accessible with a dedicated lift.

Latest news

Unfortunately we have had to cancel two of our three post-conference tours planned for Sunday 24 November. Participants who have booked on either one of the cancelled tours (the Victorian Feminist Labour History Tour and the Yalinguth First Nations Ngár-go/Fitzroy Story Walk) will be refunded their ticket.

We still have a wonderful tour on offer – the Living Museum of the West & Maribyrnong River Local History Tou r (go to Post-conference tours page for details). Registration for this tour is $30.00. Cancelled tour ticket holders wishing to attend this tour instead are encouraged to contact Jen Rose directly at jenmaryrose@gmail.com to secure a priority place on this tour.

Updated 22 October 2024