User:Dangerous91/Personal Histories Project



Personal Histories Project

The Personal Histories Project invites influential figures in academia to explore the stories behind their professional careers. The Personal Histories Project is a volunteer student-run project that organises public events, personal interviews and film training workshops to pursue this goal.

Description:

Founded in 2006 by Cambridge's Dr Pamela Jane Smith, Personal Histories is a student-led organisation, based in the Division of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. It has initially focused on oral-history events centred on panel-based discussions, coupled with audience interaction, involving some very influential figures in Archaeology and Anthropology. Aside from making the history of the discipline more colourful and accessible, these events allow participants to evaluate first-hand those views and positions previously only encountered through the fixed nature of the written word. In addition to organising and putting on such events, the project produces professional films of each one, together with a written transcript. The Personal Histories Project publishes and also archives these materials; providing for both present and future public discussion of the work. Further, they run professional training workshops in filming and film production techniques in order to equip more people with the skills of recording and publicising oral histories. In this way, the project hopes to make a real contribution to the understanding of the history and development of academic research.

Notable figures interviewed by The Personal Histories Project include Sir David Attenbourgh, Sir Tony Robinson, Dame Jane Goodall, Dr Mick Aston, Prof Martin Carver and many other influential academics from Archaeology and Anthropology. Previous films can bee seen at *