Witnessing the War in Ukraine:
Oral History and Interview-Based Research
Summer Institute
The world is in the midst of the worst and greatest war in Europe since World War Two. On 24 February 2022, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive and ferocious invasion of Ukraine. Fatalities and other casualties have rapidly mounted and a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented proportions has developed. As of May 2022, 5 million Ukrainian citizens have fled the war and more than 7 million are internally displaced. In response to this unfolding humanitarian trauma of massive proportions, researchers in oral history, ethnography, cultural anthropology have stepped forward and engaged in active collection of evidence.
What are the ethical implications of this ‘rapid response’ to the war? How should researchers approach fieldwork in times of continuously unfolding trauma? How do we conduct interview-based research in times of war without harming those with whom we work in the field? “War is a persistent attribute of human cultures through times”— with these words Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University opened a 5-year exhibit Arts of War (2014-2019). In Eastern Europe only, we have witnessed an entire generation of ethnographers and anthropologists working through the trauma of the Balkan Wars that plagued the region throughout the 1990s. The question of how to conduct research ethically in conflict settings was also addressed in many other contexts concerning many other wars that continue to unfold around the world outside of Europe. Sadly, it is now an urgent question facing researchers of Ukraine as well.
In the context of the ongoing war on Ukraine, the organizers of the Summer Institute offer an academic platform for a respectful and focused discussion of research needs and fieldwork challenges of interview-based research in the context of the ongoing war on Ukraine.
We invite researchers utilizing interviewing methods in their research on the unfolding war in Ukraine to join our Summer Institute for an in-depth exchange of ideas and expertise on how to do such research in ethically responsible and methodologically sound ways.
Activities
The work of the Summer Institute is organized in the following way:
- Part One of the Institute will feature presentations by established experts in the fields of oral history and related fields focusing on interview-based research in the context of war and trauma.
- Part Two will consist of seminar and workshop sessions. In the seminars, the institute experts and participants will discuss key methodological and ethical aspects of interview-based research in times of unfolding trauma. Participants will be asked to work through assigned reading material in advance to engage in the discussion of the topic.
During the workshop sessions led by Institute faculty, participants will share their own ongoing or planned projects and engage with other participants in the discussion of their work.
Confirmed Invited Speakers:
Alessandro Portelli, University of Rome La Sapienza
Andreas Hamburger, International Psychoanalytic University Berlin
The Summer School will be held in person in Krakow, Poland. The working language of the Institute is English. Hybrid hosting is not currently planned. Accepted participants will be provided with accommodation and travel assistance. There is no tuition for the Summer School and no credit is offered, but participants can request a certificate of participation.
To participate in the Institute, apply here.
The application must include a personal statement in English explaining how this Summer Institute will benefit your research and ongoing or planned projects, a brief CV, and personal and contact information.
Important Deadlines and Dates:
Notifications — 15 June, 2022
Summer Institute — 16-19 July, 2022
Organizers
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta
Ukrainian Oral History Association
Department of Sociology, Jagiellonian University - Krakow, Poland
Polish Oral History Association
Dobra Wola Foundation - Krakow, Poland
Lund University
For more information contact: witnessing.war@uj.edu.pl