Interpreting Oral History: A Masterclass with Alistair Thomson

With Alistair Thomson

How do we make sense of the memories that we record as oral historians? How do we begin to transform stories into histories? In this workshop we’ll consider a range of ways of approaching the interpretation of memories. We’ll note the changing ways that researchers have used memory as a historical source. We’ll consider the factors that shape memory stories. We’ll try out narrative analysis with interview extracts (from Al’s interviews with migrants and war veterans) using the rich clues of sound, gesture, word and narrative form. We’ll think about how we might work with a set of interviews to find historical patterns and illuminate historical themes. And we’ll consider the ethical issues posed when we interpret people’s lives and stories. You’ll finish up brimming with ideas and enthusiasm for working with your own interviews (or other people’s interviews), armed with lists of further reading if you wish to deepen your understanding

Alistair Thomson has been teaching oral history since he ran an adult education interviewing workshop in regional Australia in 1985, and in 2018 received an Australian Award for University Teaching Excellence. Al is Emeritus Professor of History at Monash University and a former President of Oral History Australia and the International Oral History Association. His oral history books include: Anzac Memories (1994 and 2013), The Oral History Reader (1998, 2006 and 2015 with Rob Perks, and 2026, forthcoming with Alex Freund),  Ten Pound Poms: Australia’s Invisible Migrants (2005, with Jim Hammerton), Moving Stories: an intimate history of four women across two countries (2011) Oral History and Photography (2011, with Alexander Freund) Australian Lives: An Aural History (2017, with Anisa Puri), Fathering: An Australian History (2025, with John Murphy, Kate Murphy and Johnny Bell), and The Bloomsbury Handbook of Oral History (2026, with Alexander Freund and Erin Jessee). Website: https://althomsonoralhistory.com.au/