Journal article
Save Our Shipyards: Revisiting a Forgotten History Through Film Elicitation Oral History
Studies in Oral History, (46), pp.78-101
2024
Abstract
Oral historians regularly use photographs, personal artefacts, or the landscape to access a fuller range of personal feelings and meanings of the past. Yet while archival films are regularly used to stimulate community reminiscence, little has been written about the potentialities of audiovisual elicitation as part of oral history methodology. This paper explores the value of film elicitation methods to revisit a largely forgotten public campaign aimed at halting the closure of shipyards in North East England. We used two short documentary videos as memory prompts for union activists and film producers. The films elicited strong emotional responses, prompting participants to reflect on the gaps between their memories and the ways events were portrayed at the time. In a region where the loss of the shipbuilding industry has significant ongoing social, cultural and economic impacts, the closures are often remembered as a historical inevitability. In contrast, revisiting the films with those who participated in their production offered an opportunity to visit a moment of possibility. We argue that film elicitation is a powerful tool for oral historians who want to explore marginalised histories while avoiding some of the pitfalls of ‘recovery’ oral history.
Details
- Title
- Save Our Shipyards: Revisiting a Forgotten History Through Film Elicitation Oral History
- Authors/Creators
- Alison Atkinson-Phillips (Author) - Murdoch University, School of Humanities, Arts and Social SciencesMatt Perry (Author) - Newcastle University
- Publication Details
- Studies in Oral History, (46), pp.78-101
- Publisher
- Oral History Australia
- Identifiers
- 991005722370307891
- Copyright
- © 2024 Oral History Australia
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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