Recording Indigenous Oral Histories with Bronte Gosper
The 2023-24 Experiments in Oral History Methodology Series presents:

In this workshop, Bronte will discuss methodological questions around capturing oral histories of Indigenous communities across Australia and beyond. She will discuss the process of creating her thesis ‘COLLAPSING TIME: INDIGENOUS STORYTELLERS AND THE ‘EVERYWHEN,’ which received the 2023 Jeffrey H. Brodsky Oral History Award. How do we capture oral histories of places that are changing rapidly due to climate change? How can Indigenous oral histories shape our understandings of time and how is this, in itself, a form of activism? These are questions she will explore in this workshop, as well as how oral historical practices fit into a larger practice of indigenous storytelling.

About the Host:

Bronte Gosper is a proud Wiradjuri woman who is passionate about telling diverse Indigenous stories in a variety of mediums, including film, theatre and photography. Through her work, Bronte emphasizes that Indigenous stories are not monolithic nor are they confined to the past. She highlights the unique and varied narratives that exist across different Indigenous groups and how they interweave with other communities' stories. Bronte's work serves as a powerful reminder that Indigenous stories are dynamic, evolving, and integral to our understanding not only of Indigeneity but of our collective human experience.

0:00 Introductions
8:20 Presentation Beginning
12:47 Indigenous Testimony
20:14 Voice to Parliament
26:52 Indigenous Australian Temporality
30:08 Story with a capital S
33:37 Beyond settler time
39:45 Documentary cliip
55:24 Quote readings
1:05:19 Documentary clip
1:15:34 Discussion

2023-24 Experiments in Oral History Methodology series:

Oral history as a research tool has been at times almost synonymous with a certain kind of interviewing: one-on-one, biographical, long-form, recorded, and intended for the archive. In this year-long series of events, are exploring other approaches to doing oral history, from using guided meditation to access sensory memories to grounding memory work in our favorite family songs.

Events will take place on Thursday evenings (ET) from 6-7:30PM, and where possible each event will include a hands-on experience or interactive space to try out and reflect on these new approaches. Events will be virtual and in-person.

Event date: February 29, 2024