Show & Tell: Using Artefacts in Oral History Practice
About this Event
This event is open to participants that are Vietnamese and Southeast Asian.
Show & Tell: Using Artifacts in Oral History Practice
In this follow up workshop on oral history principles and practice in partnership with the An Viet Archives and Hackney Archives, participants will think through the use and value of artifacts, or “memory objects,” to elicit storytelling. For communities whose lives have been ruptured by war and displacement, objects may have been destroyed or left behind, yet their memory may still hold significant value for storytellers. Premised on principles such as shared authority, person-centered archiving, and caring for communities, the workshop will give an overview of oral history as a method of reclaiming agency for vulnerable groups and then focus on ways of integrating object-based prompts and strategies in collecting life stories. No prior training or experience in archives or oral history are required to participate in this workshop, but participants will be asked to come prepared with a personal artifact (or photograph of an artifact).
Dr. Thuy Vo Dang has over 20 years of experience conducting oral histories and designing documentation projects, including teaching methods for capturing the “bottom-up” perspectives often left out of history books. She has given numerous workshops and presentations on oral histories and community archives around the country and consults on regional and transnational community-based and scholarly projects. Her approach is grounded in community-centered archival practice, which seeks to build equitable partnerships with communities whose histories are absent from mainstream archives.
SCHEDULE:- 11 am - Arrive & receive light refreshments (Vietnamese coffee and steamed rice rolls)
~ Workshop in session~- 1:30 pm - End of Session. Option to join us for lunch!
Thuy Vo Dang (she/her/hers) is an oral historian and professor of Information Studies and Asian American Studies at UCLA where she co-directs the Community Archives Lab. She holds a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego and a B.A. in English and Asian American Studies from Scripps College. Her previous role was Curator for the UCI Libraries Southeast Asian Archive and Research Librarian for Asian American Studies. With research and teaching expertise in oral history, Southeast Asian diaspora, community archives, and cultural memory, Thuy brings an interdisciplinary approach to co-creating digital humanities and archival documentation projects with educators and community-based organizations. Her current research and community engagement work center "refugee archival praxis" through the storytelling strategies of first and second generation Vietnamese in the diaspora. She is coauthor of the books (2022) and (2015) and has published in Amerasia Journal, Journal of Asian American Studies, AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community, Health Promotion Practice, History Now: the Journal, Ethnic Studies in Academic and Research Libraries, and Toward a Framework for Vietnamese American Studies.Thuy serves on the board of directors for Arts Orange County and the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association.
| Ticket Information | Ticket Price |
|---|---|
| Vietnamese & Southeast Asian Admission | Free |
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