To name or not to name

Reflections on the Use of Anonymity in an Oral Archive of Migrant Life Narratives

Bibliographic Data

ID4969934
AuthorsC N Laoire (0000-0001-5240-6780, University College Cork, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume8
Issue3
Pages373-390
Publication date2007-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649360701488807
OpenAlexW2026666271
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited17

This paper draws on an oral archive project on narratives of return migration in contemporary Ireland, as the basis for a discussion on the potential of life narrative research to destabilize meta-narratives and to contribute to the mapping of transformative geographies. It is argued that this kind of research requires the creation of safe spaces within which participants can tell their stories and articulate counter-narratives. At the same time, it is important to make their voices available to a wide audience and to recognize their authorial roles. There are contrasting perspectives in oral history and life narrative research on the use of anonymity to protect participants' identities, which reflect different disciplinary traditions and practices. The paper reflects on these different perspectives and on the process of designing a research project that draws on multiple methodological influences. It concludes that it is possible to facilitate access to these voices, while at the same time providing safe conditions for the articulation of counter-narratives, by providing anonymity where possible and desirable in agreement with the participant

Articulation (sociology · Discipline · Oral history · Transformative learning · Data Analysis and Archiving · Oral History, Memory, Narrative Analysis · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access