CFP

[Andrea Peto]

"Women's Memory: Oral Histories from Transition. Theory and Practice"
Oral History Workshop at the Central European University, Program on Gender & Culture, 
3-5 November, 2000 in Budapest

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

The OSI NETWORK Women's Program and the Central European University's Program on Gender & Culture invite experts, professionals, and NGO activists to join to the seminar "Women's Memory: Oral Histories from Transition. Theory and Practice" to be held in Budapest on 3-5 November, 2000. In order to coordinate and promote the establishment of archives of women's stories in different Central-East European and fSU countries, this training program is being provided to teach skills, to offer hands-on experience, and to present different theoretical frameworks and operational models to promote the preservation of women's stories. Applicants should send their Curriculum Vitae, list of publications and a letter of recommendation  to  the Central European University, Program on Gender & Culture (Nador u. 9.; 1051 Budapest, Hungary; fax/ 361-327-3296 or 361-327-3001, email/ gender at ceu.hu), together with a statement of purpose which covers their previous work in the field of oral history and their future plans. The closing date for applications is 25 April, 2000. The working language of the seminar is English. Simultaneous Russian translation will be provided, but preference will be given to those applicants with at least a minimal knowledge of English.  
For more information contact Nargiza Turgunova, External Programs Manager (turgonov at ceu.hu, tel/ 361-327-3034).

Description
The promotion of real social and political change requires a thorough understanding of the past. Women's pasts are difficult to study because of the hidden and  manipulated character of the sources: the most important emotional and psychological changes remain closed in women's bodies. By the end of the 1990s an increasing number of NGOs, women's studies and gender studies centers in Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union have started or are planning  to start oral history projects focusing on women's experience of transition and violence. Oral history is both a genre of historical inquiry and a technique of obtaining information about events and social practices. In order to establish and coordinate the foundation of archives of women's stories in different Central-East European and fSU countries, a training program is needed to promote comparative studies in order to facilitate the preservation of women's stories. This workshop will provide such training, and enable as well the development of nationally appropriate projects. 

Participants
30-35 participants will be admitted.

Preparations
Selected participants will receive a reading packet well before the workshop. Those who are already involved in running oral history research projects will need to prepare a brief description of their projects, to be attached to the reading packet. All selected participants will be expected to read the reading packet, and to prepare a brief presentation for the seminar. Those participants coming from countries with an advanced tradition of collecting oral histories will be requested  to bring a bibliography from their own country (in an electronic form) about the books, articles and projects of the last ten years in the field of oral history.


Lectures
During the training experts will give lectures related to the methodology and techniques of oral history. The lecturers will provide a list of recommended readings (the readings will be included in the reading packet), and will also compile a list for a possible oral history library: basic texts, manuals, etc.

Seminars
The lectures will be followed by seminars, where the participants divide into three groups to discuss the lectures and readings.

Workshops
In a workshop setting, techniques of making oral history will be practiced.

Field Trips
The participant will visit the two oral history archives of Budapest, the 56 Institute (http://www.rev.hu)  and the OSI Radio Free Europe Archives (http://www.ceu.hu), as well as the Statue Park: memory and commemoration  practices  of communism (http://www.szoborpark.hu)




Dr Andrea Peto
Central European University
Budapest,  Nador u. 9
H-1051
phone: 36-1-3273192
GSM: 36-209-292519
fax: 36-1-3273191