Call for Papers 2026

Studies in Oral History, Issue No. 48

Editors: Mia Martin Hobbs and Geraldine Fela

Bearing Witness, Making History

Peer-reviewed articles

Contributions are invited from Australia and overseas for the peer-reviewed articles section of the 2026 issue of Studies in Oral History, the journal of Oral History Australia (OHA).

We are living through a time of relentless violence, towards human beings, our social world, and to our environment. What then does it mean, as historians, to bear witness and make history?  

As oral historians, we are used to the role of witness. The creation of an oral history archive is a kind of witness bearing. In the interview we watch and listen in real time as life stories unfold, with all their attendant pain, joy, complications and moments of discomposure. To bear witness in this setting often means something profoundly intimate, but bearing witness can also speak to a broader political and responsibility: to bear witness can mean to speak or record a truth, or to gather collectively to remember, commemorate or protest.

We invite papers that interrogate the idea of witness bearing, or which address broader issues that are evoked by the idea of bearing witness and making history. Contributions are invited across the following themes (but are not limited to these): 

• Oral histories with marginalised groups and communities 
• Oral histories with elite or powerful figures 
• Interview power dynamics and bearing witness 
• Historicising and recording acts of witnessing 
• Tensions between bearing witness and making history 
• Truth, reconciliation, and justice in oral history 
• The ethics, responsibility and burden of being a ‘witness’ – either in or outside the interview.

As all articles are subject to anonymous peer review, pleasure ensure your submission contains no identifying material. Articles submitted to the OHA Editorial Board for peer review will first be assessed for suitability by the Editorial Board.

Please consult the Guidelines for Contributors, the Peer review FAQ and Journal Style Guide for further information.

Word limits and deadlines

To be considered for peer review, articles should be no more than 8,000 words, including references. Publication of the issue is anticipated in late 2025.

The submission deadline for articles for peer review is 31 March 2026.

Submission

Send submissions to: OHA Editorial Board, email: editorialboard.journal@oralhistoryaustralia.org.au.

Reports

Submissions are also invited for the reports section of the 2025 issue of Studies in Oral History. Reports may describe oral history projects conducted by museum curators, heritage professionals, consulting historians, community historians, academic historians and more. Projects may have resulted in public outcomes such as websites, exhibitions, podcasts, theses, articles or books. Please note the reports section is not peer-reviewed; notes from the field, updates on exciting new work, or reflections on the process and/or outcomes of oral history projects are encouraged. Reports which relate to the issue theme are welcome but not mandatory.

Word limit: 1,500 words.

Deadline for report submissions: Wednesday 29 May 2026.

Please send reports to: reports.journal@oralhistoryaustralia.org.au

Please note that while the reports are not peer-reviewed, we cannot accept all reports for publication and accepted reports will need to be edited for length, clarity and adherence to the Style Guide. Reports will be selected on the basis of quality of writing, the diversity of oral history perspectives showcased across the reports section and relevance to the special issue theme. Please consult the Guidelines for Contributors and Style Guide for further information.

Issued 16 December 2025