Speaking Through Time: The Power of Oral History

Laura Murray

Professor, Department of English Language and Literature

Synopsis: Dr. Laura Murray has published and taught extensively in Indigenous studies, US literature, copyright law, and cultural policy, and has been involved with community arts and political activism. She is also the Director of the Swamp Ward and Inner Harbour History Project, which is collecting stories through oral history and archival research to better understand the history of Kingston. In this episode, she discusses the benefits and challenges surrounding the use of oral history as an analytical tool, and how she is able to recruit community members for her project. Her project explores the history of the industrial Swamp Ward neighborhood and the diverse populations within it, and she describes how her research projects have come to fruition through community engagement and teaching. For more information, please visit Laura’s website or the SWIHHP website.