About the Conference
The 23rd International Oral History Association (IOHA) Conference took place from 16–19 September 2025 at the Auditorium Maximum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
A total of 370 participants – panelists and speakers from 55 countries (including approximately 330 individuals from outside Poland) – confirmed their attendance.
They took part in four plenary sessions and 63 thematic panels.
Young researchers also had the opportunity to participate in three masterclasses held at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University.
Conference Theme
The theme of the conference, Re-thinking Oral History, stemmed from the growing need to reconsider both the practice and theory of oral history in the contemporary world.
This necessity is shaped by challenges with long-term and often unpredictable consequences: the crisis of liberal democracy, increasing tensions in international politics, climate change, growing inequalities, wars, and mass migration.
These issues not only affect the conditions under which oral history is created, as a method of researching the past and human experiences of it, but also compel us to reflect on the fundamental purpose of oral history itself.
Distinguished Guests and Plenary Sessions
We invited many distinguished guests to the conference in Kraków.
The masterclasses were led by icons of global oral history: Prof. Michael Frisch and Prof. Alessandro Portelli, who shared their expertise with early-career scholars.
Prof. Anna Wylegała, drawing on her experience documenting the stories of Ukrainian refugees, led a session on conducting oral history projects during ongoing conflicts and, more broadly, in times of crisis.
Plenary lectures were delivered by:
- Mary Marshall Clark (Columbia University, New York), representing the world’s oldest and longest-running oral history research centre — the Columbia Center for Oral History Research
- Rib Davis from the British Oral History Society
The plenary discussions featured researchers and activists working in various regions affected by different forms of crisis —
Maria Bashshur Abunnasr, Fanny Julissa García, Ngozika Anthonia Obi-Ani, Natalia Otrishchenko, Gabriele Proglio, Naoko Shimazu —
alongside individuals involved in social archiving and local community initiatives:
Andrew Flinn, Kamil Kmak, Claudio Ogass Bilbao, Tamara Štefanac, Mónica Tenaglia.
A Global Community
The entire event served not only as a space for exchange on issues of pressing global relevance but also as an opportunity to showcase Polish contributions to the field of oral history.
It highlighted the work of the Polish research and activist community and integrated these achievements into the global discourse.
Participants from all over the world had the chance to see what is important to us here in Poland, and what is at the heart of life and struggle for our Ukrainian friends and colleagues, still enduring the war.
Throughout the conference, we also carried with us Palestinians facing unimaginable suffering in the present moment.
Over those four days, we became a true global community — an open and welcoming space where, in the spirit of academic freedom, we could talk freely, honestly, and with care about the things that matter.
Sustainable and Solidary Organization
The visit of several hundred researchers and activists from around the world helped promote Polish science, history, and culture — as well as the city of Kraków itself.
Thanks to the support of the city authorities, our guests were invited to:
- use public transport for free,
- visit Kraków’s museums at no cost,
- and take part in two guided tours.
On the first evening, they enjoyed Renaissance music performed by the ensemble Floripari,
while on the final evening, they spent time together at the Kościuszko Mound.
Everything was organized with respect for nature and in a spirit of solidarity:
- Kraków Water provided tap water and reusable bottles to all participants.
- Instead of printing hundreds of pages of conference materials, a digital conference app was made available.
- No food was wasted — any surplus was donated to those in need.
This successfully organized conference in Kraków was one of the largest international events in the humanities and social sciences to take place in Poland in recent years.
Keynotes and Plenary Sessions
Keynote Lectures
- Mary Marshall Clark, “Rememory and Repair in a World of Collective Trauma”
- Rib Davis, “Oral History and Climate Change: Testaments of Weirding”
Plenary Discussants (1)
“Oral Historians Facing Crises: Attitudes, Fears, and Hopes”
Maria Bashshur Abunnasr, Fanny Julissa García, Ngozika Anthonia Obi-Ani, Natalia Otrishchenko, Gabriele Proglio, Naoko Shimazu
Plenary Discussants (2)
“Oral History and Community Archives – Intersections and Impacts”
Andrew Flinn, Kamil Kmak, Claudio Ogass Bilbao, Tamara Štefanac, Mónica Tenaglia
Organization and Credits
Organization and accountancy: Jordan Congress Bureau
Graphic identification: Rzeczy Obrazkowe
Technical support: SZOK
Translations into Spanish: Alingua
Media: Rzecz Jasna
Music during IOHA Gala Award: Floripari
Photographer: Maciej Zygmunt