From IE: Unions and schools are history waiting to happen
***THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN IE, THE IEU’S NATIONAL JOURNAL, IN 2023.***
It’s never too late to start recording your precious heritage. Three historians explain why the past matters so much and how it can inform our present.
Staff in schools and members of unions often have little understanding of the stories and struggles which inform their organisation’s values and policies.
As ACTU historian Dr Liam Byrne says, “Without our history, how do we know who we are?”
He says history is the “northern star” which can help “guide and orient” organisations like unions and schools.
“We can’t return to the past (and we shouldn’t try to) but we can learn the important lessons from it. These lessons include things we got right, but also those things we got wrong. If we ignore our history, we will be constantly trying to reinvent the wheel, ignorant that we have a store of knowledge and experience to build upon,” Dr Byrne said.
Alistair Thomson, Professor of History at Monash University, agrees that history “can show you what failed in the past, why it failed, and how you might need to do things differently to be successful”.
Professor Thomson is President of Oral History Australia, and his favourite question is, “Tell me your story”. He’s always enjoyed listening to people talk about their lives.
Oral history is defined simply as “the recording of memories of people’s life experiences”, and Professor Thomson says such testimonies often provide more insight than the “official” version of an event.
“Oral history can transform the historical record by including the stories and experiences of people who have not documented their lives or whose documents have not survived in the historical record, thus transforming the histories we create, making them more inclusive and often challenging of the accepted histories of the more powerful.
“A school history that includes the accounts of past and present students will be very different to a school history written by and for the school council. A union history of a trade will be very different to the corporate history.
“I also love oral history because anyone can do it, though you need some training to do it well.”
Researcher, historian and former teacher Alice Garner, President of Oral History Victoria, says history helps humanise our institutions.
“A school or a union may seem monolithic but delving into its history reveals the human dimension in its creation and development.
“Historical research reminds us that institutions are the product of people and their ideas and actions.
“You don’t have to dig too deeply to find extraordinary stories – sometimes in the most unlikely places.”
Dr Garner says good history acknowledges flaws and embarrassments.
“If you want to produce meaningful history, you can’t just focus on all the victories and good news stories. Historians have to acknowledge the difficult parts of the past too and try to make some sense of them. The complex stuff and how we deal with it is usually what intrigues people. They are a more truthful representation of life and work, and they also make for the best stories.”
We can’t return to the past(and we shouldn’t try to) but we can learn the important lessons from it.
She is intrigued by how oral history interviewing reveals “the sheer variety of human experience”, while also reminding us “how much we all have in common”.
An interviewer who “sits quietly and listens to someone tell their story without interruption” can achieve great results – when someone feels they are being feeling heard, sometimes for the first time, there is often a strong connection, which comes through strongly in recordings.
“Voices communicate so much, beyond the words themselves. The intonation, pauses, pacing, and emotional register can all communicate a great deal – things that can’t easily be explained in writing.”
Versatility is another virtue of oral histories, which can become recordings, books, websites, exhibitions, films, or podcasts.
A good example is Australian Union Women - An Oral History Project, (womeninunions.org) a website showcasing 18 leaders and activists from the Australian labour movement in words, pictures, and audio recordings.
Whatever the format, Dr Byrne says history is vital.
“It can inspire us to act today knowing we can make change, as many generations before us have done.
“Our history is also a record for us to stand on. We have two centuries of examples of workers coming together in their unions and taking collective action to win improvements to their rights and conditions. When we are explaining the benefits of unionism to our workmates who haven’t joined yet, having such a long and proud record to draw upon can be a great way to enhance our credibility.”
Dr Byrne says if your school or union decides to embrace their history, it should prioritise the stories of individual staff or members.
“So many of these stories can be lost. Working people make history, but this isn’t always captured in the history books. If we don’t take the time to record these stories, we risk losing them.
“The more of this we do the better.”
How to make history: Tips from Alastair Thomson and Alice Garner
Do:
Plan ahead, and consider your end product (book, website, exhibition, film, podcast) before you do too much research, because the format will affect how you undertake the project
build an enthusiastic team with complementary skills and involve the staff/students/members in the project
find out what members are curious about and make their responses drive your research
invite people to contribute to the history in writing or through interviews
check out whether there is an existing collection of interviews that you may be able to listen to, then plan to fill gaps in your understanding with new interviews, and
get interview training via your state oral history association.
Don’t:
go down every rabbit hole following every random intriguing thread, and
decide what to focus on early, so you don’t get lost in the archives and the interviewing.
Nuts and bolts:
always seek a broad range of perspectives. Ensure you cover the lived experience of the widest possible range of people involved in the organisation you are researching.
for a school history project, for example, interview the principal, teachers or past students, but don’t forget non-teaching staff, school community members, volunteers or neighbours who have had a long involvement with the school and may have seen how it has changed over the years.
plan to get the best possible audio quality when recording interviews. Borrow good quality recording equipment, and
record in the quietest location you can find (rooms with carpet and curtains are good, while kitchens are not).
If possible, record .wav files which are archival standard (not .mp3s). Get your recording levels right (between -12 and -6 dB) and wear headphones while recording the interview so you can hear if the signal drops out or if there is interference. And always back up your recordings onto an external hard drive!
You need a consent form that gives your interviewees a say in what happens to their interview, how it will be used and who can have access to it now and in the future.
Oral History Australia, your state oral history organisation, and your local librarian can help with resources and advice.