Learning to Listen: A Manual for Oral History Projects

Learning to Listen is a manual designed specifically for those who want to develop oral history and oral testimony projects with people in or from Burma. The manual, produced by OSF grantee The Green Centre for Non-Western Art, has been developed with the support of Panos Oral Testimony Programme, who permitted incorporation of training materials that have been developed by them worldwide for use in NGOs and community groups. The manual gives a basic introduction to the planning, implementation and assessment of oral projects, as well as guidelines on dissemination and preservation of oral and visual materials in settings where only basic technologies are available. The principles, however, are adaptable to a range of different contexts and examples are included in the text of a wide range of projects for those who want more detailed discussion of some of the issues raised. Learning to Listen will be a valuable tool for all those interested in pursuing oral research with communities from Burma, and the Burmese translation of the text will be of benefit both to local researchers and to those who want to develop their work collaboratively.