Loss, collective memory and transcripted oral histories

Abstract

This article introduces examples of transcripted archived life histories analysed as part of a research project on the meanings of violence in the late nineteenth- and early twentiethcenturies. The article reveals commonly occurring narrative forms in the life stories of those interviewed, particularly those expressing loss. The article uses transcripted Australian oral histories, particularly the narration of Millie W., who describes the death of her parents in a boating tragedy in 1905, to suggest that individual life-story narratives can only be interpreted within socio-historical contexts. It then discusses the methodological problems this raises, and how they can be negotiated through the adoption of appropriate interpretative strategies.

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