Alessandro Portelli – Reflecting on a life in progress and the stories of oral history

Event Date: 6 November 2012 

 Windsor Auditorium

Royal Holloway University of London

Egham, Surrey

TW20 0EX

Royal Holloway University of London Department of History

Lecture to mark the Launch of the Public History Centre

Professor Alessandro Portelli (La Sapienza University of Rome) – Reflecting on a life in progress and the stories of oral history

Alessandro Portelli has played a leading role in transforming oral history. Through a number of key studies, he has promoted an appreciation of oral history as a literary genre that throws light on the significance of subjectivity in history. By interpreting the themes and structures of eyewitness testimony, Portelli has consistently demonstrated new ways of understanding memory. In this lecture Portelli reflects on his work to date, illustrating his intellectual journey with reference to the stories of the personal, and the historical, victories and defeats that have inspired his critical contribution.

Introduction by Professor Paul Layzell (Principal, Royal Holloway).

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You can buy Alessandro Portelli’s ‘They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History‘ here