Conference Review
World Oral Literature Project Workshop
15-16 December2009
(a) Summary
This two-day workshop brought together established scholars, early career researchers and graduate students with indigenous researchers, museum curators, archivists and audio-visual experts to discuss strategies for collecting, recording, preserving and disseminating oral literatures and endangered narrative traditions. In view of the diversity of current research initiatives on the oral literatures of the Asia-Pacific, and the geographical strengths of Cambridge-based scholars, the workshop had a broad focus on this region. Specific sessions were held on the Himalayas (India and Nepal), High Asia (China, Mongolia and Tibet) and the Pacific (Vanuatu).
The workshop provided a collaborative environment for scholars to present, discuss and be exposed to new techniques and fieldwork methodologies. Topics included the ethical responsibilities of researchers, their engagements with local communities as partners, the place of western universities as archival repositories of living traditions and sites of interaction for indigenous communities, and the role of local digital archives and community cultural centres in knowledge transfer, teaching and research.
(b) Conference Review
Aims: To bring together established scholars, early career researchers and graduate students with indigenous researchers, museum curators, archivists and audio-visual experts to discuss strategies for collecting, recording, preserving and disseminating oral literatures and endangered narrative traditions.Outline of intellectual content: Seven panels, sixteen presenters and one keynote speaker. Topics included the ethical responsibilities of researchers, their engagements with local communities as partners, the place of western universities as archival repositories of living traditions and sites of interaction for indigenous communities, and the role of local digital archives and community cultural centres in knowledge transfer, teaching and research.
Key points raised: Several main points that were highlighted in the workshop:
1. The role that anthropology could/should play in linguistic documentation projects.
2. The role and nature of local scholars and collaboration in documenting oral literature.
3. The importance of digital archives as sites for the exchange of ideas, living traditions and relationships.
4. The position of the University of Cambridge as a centre of excellence, and for discussion for the issues surrounding the collection of oral literature.
5. The very enthusiastic reception and support for the World Oral Literature Project’s programme and goals.
Plans for follow-up events and publications: We hope to make these workshops a yearly occurrence, expanding on the themes and issues identified in this year’s workshop and with a change in regional focus. We will use and make available the audio and visual recordings of the workshop, as podcasts hosted by CRASSH and as training to our grantees. Peter Austin of SOAS has already approached Mark Turin to guest edit Language Documentation and Description and Ruth Finnegan (keynote speaker) has suggested publishing an Occasional Paper based on the papers presented at the workshop. Finally, we are in discussion with Open Book Publishers to disseminate our research findings and methodological considerations discussed in the workshop. They will be hosted online as a free download in PDF format, and available through a print-on-demand service.
