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Life Stories and Life Histories in the Context of Authoritarian Regimes
Life Stories and Life Histories in the Context of Authoritarian Regimes
Abstract Submissions Closed
Wednesday, 24 February 2021: 10:45-12:15
Location:
RC38 Biography and Society (host committee)
Language: English
Session Type: Oral
What does telling your life story mean for people who formerly lived, or currently live, in a country where freedom of speech is not guaranteed, and where they, or close relatives or friends, have had painful or even traumatizing experiences? Researchers who have been socialized all their lives in democratic countries (with functioning rule of law), and who would not hesitate to talk about their political opinions, their sexual orientation, or their religious or non-religious beliefs, need to make an effort in order to be able to appreciate the hindering moments and forces that affect how people tell their life stories, who do not share the same kind of socialization. Not only on the practical level of accessing the research field and conducting interviews, but also on the level of data analysis, considerable care and reflection are required with regard to what people can say in a given context, what discourse rules and taboos have been so thoroughly internalized that the autobiographers are no longer aware of the extent to which traumatizing experiences can block or interfere with memory processes and speaking about the past, or to what extent caution, fear or mistrust play a role when interacting with a researcher from another, country, region or milieu, even if there is factually no need for this in the interview situation.
We would like to invite colleagues with experience of doing biographical research in countries with authoritarian regimes to tell us about their research, and to present their methodological reflections.
Session Organizers: