Oral History Made Easy 2025

This ground breaking workshop shows you how to keep your analysis original, sharp and unpolluted by algorithmically driven content which claims to represent our narrators' stories. For many years, oral historians have drawn on human interpretivist techniques to analysis those precious oral history recordings. Yet oral historians today are under increasing pressure to defer to AI and LLM driven programmes to analysis our oral precious oral history interviews. This ground breaking workshop shows you how to keep your analysis original, sharp and unpolluted by algorithmically driven content which claims to represent our narrators' stories. Experience how to connect with your narrator's voice on a human level. We will take a deep dive into the world of oral history interviews using the power of human interpretation without the use of AI or algorithms. Learn essential tried and tested strategies human centred for analyzing and interpreting your precious oral histories. Whether you're a seasoned researcher or just starting out, this event brought to you by Oral History Made Easy will provide you with the tools you need for repeat success in your oral history projects. Do you have or plan to have oral history recordings and/or transcripts but are unsure about how to analyse them? Do you want to learn recognised analysis techniques which are not depedent on algorithms or AI? Would you like to gain confidence and competence on what to look out for in oral history interviews and transcripts so you can reveal the intended meaning behind your interviewees’ unique voices? By the end of the workshop, participants will: (i) Know how to contextualise and critique the social, cultural and political factors which impact on an oral history interview. (ii) Be clearer about the interview purpose and scope of analysis: the rationale behind the oral history project and how this shapes the dialogue between interviewer and interviewee; develop awareness of how habitus shapes interviewer and interviewee dynamics. (iii) Be shown basic analysis techniques such as open coding and narrative analysis. (iv)Acquire knowledge on: what to look out for in a transcript; how the narrator has constructed their story including use of the images and metaphors overall discourse; consider what has omitted and assess factual accuracy by triangulating sources. Put the humanity and originality back in your oral history analysis by learning tried and tested techniques which are not AI LLM driven.