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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Gay Oral History Project in Zimbabwe: Black Empowerment, Human Rights, and the Research Process
Author:Epprecht, MarcISNI
Year:1999
Periodical:History in Africa
Volume:26
Pages:25-41
Language:English
Geographic term:Zimbabwe
Subjects:homosexuality
oral history
Education and Oral Traditions
History and Exploration
Bibliography/Research
Law, Human Rights and Violence
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172136
Abstract:This paper discusses an attempt to apply historical research directly to the development of a culture of human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. Although the research concerns controversial issues around sexuality, race, and nationalism that are important in themselves, the author argues that the method used to design and carry out the research project is at least as interesting. The project described is the Gay Oral History Project, launched in March 1998 with the help of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). Its objectives are to conduct interviews with gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered about their life histories; to create an archive that could be a resource for people wishing to learn about the diversity of historical experiences of sexuality; to publish materials that summarize the above in English, Shona and Ndebele; and to bridge the chasm that commonly exists between professional scholars and local activists and to provide a model for shaping a research project in a democratic manner. The author describes the various stages of the project, the problems encountered, and the results up to December 1998. He argues that 'ivory tower' and 'grassroots' are brought together in the project, offering an alternative model to the methods that currently predominate in the production of historical knowledge in southern Africa. Notes, ref.
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