Unless specified, all seminars were held at the University of Sussex, Tuesdays 12.30-1.55pm, in the Pevensey Building 1 2A2. (Ground floor, accessible).

Food Stories, 'Sounds Familiar' and Oral History at the British Library

Date: 11 March 2008
Speaker: Polly Russell, Jude England, Gill Ridgely and Jonnie Robinson, British Library Sound Archive and Social Sciences at the British Library
Members of the new Social Science team at the British Library will talk about the library's oral history collections and their use in interactive web resources. Polly Russell has conducted over 80 oral history recordings with UK food producers and her research focuses on the politics of UK food production. She will demonstrate the website 'Food Stories' and talk about the issues involved in making oral history accessible this way. Sociolinguist Jonnie Robinson will demonstrate Sounds Familiar: an interactive, educational website that uses oral history extracts as a means of exploring the rich diversity of accents and dialects in the UK.

Medical Life Histories: Doctors on the Edge 

Date: 26 February 2008
Speaker: Linden West, Canterbury Christ Church , and Mary Herns, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Mary Herns explains how narrative methodologies can explore the journey from medical student to junior doctor, while Linden West's life history approach reveals the emotional problems doctors face and their stories of struggles to become more authentic, reflective as well as "effective" practitioners. 

Iraqi Women: Untold Stories

Date: 12 February 2008 (with the Centre for Migration Research and IDS)
Speaker:Nadje Al-Ali, Centre for Gender Studies, SOAS, University of London
Nadje Al-Ali unearths the life stories of Iraq 's women, reflecting on the nature of memory and identity, and her personal story. 'The pattern Al-Ali draws of the way that educated women's lives have changed and rechanged since Iraq 's 1958 revolution is fascinating.' - The Economist.

Our Newhaven - the setting up of a multi-media life history project in the town

Date: 29 January 2008
Speaker: Jackie Blackwell, Community Development Worker and Rachel Steele, Act on It
Jackie Blackwell, project co-ordinator, is working with arts organisation, Act on It; the local secondary school, historical society and the public in Newhaven, aiming to create a community history and living archive of the town. Newhaven is a key area for regeneration in East Sussex and this seminar will include a discussion on whether life history projects can add value to the regeneration of a town.