In Dialogue: OHS/IHR on the Co-Production of History

In partnership with the Institute of Historical Research, The OHS has been critically reflecting on its record of engagement with organisations that are visibly minoritised within the UK and projects that relate to remembering, capturing and preserving stories from members of these communities.  The idea and commitment to dialogue follows from the Oral History Society’s determination to acquire greater awareness and appreciation of global majority history, and the need for greater inclusivity in terms of the Society’s organisation, practice and publications.

In this 9th edition of the In Dialogue series, first established in 2022, Clinton Smith, Preston Black History Group and Dr Helen Paul, University of Southampton will be reflecting on the co-production of history. This will be followed by a discussion led by Padmini Broomfield, a Regional Network Co-ordinator for the OHS and opened to the audience. 

Speakers: Clinton Smith (Preston Black History Group) and Dr Helen Paul (University of Southampton)

Discussant: Padmini Broomfield (Regional Network Co-ordinator, OHS) 

Chair: Dr Juanita Cox (Institute of Historical Research)


Clinton Smith is chair of the Preston Black History Group (PBHG).  With the support of members and advocates of PBHG, Clinton seeks to promote cultural understanding and educate the public on the far-reaching contributions of African and African-Caribbean people in the UK.  He collaborates with local museums, galleries, and libraries to share previously untold stories. He has been honoured with a Points of Light award, which recognises volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.  He was also awarded the 2018 Fusion Lifetime Community Achievement Award for services to race relations.  
‘England is My Home’: Windrush Lives in Lancashire, launched in Preston in October 2022, is a collaboration between PBHG and the University of Central Lancashire’s Research Centre for Migration, Diaspora, and Exile (MIDEX) and the Institute for Black Atlantic Research (IBAR).  The book features 11 narratives about the lives of women and men from the Windrush generation who came to Lancashire in the 1950s and 60s.  In each chapter they discuss their upbringing, departure from the Caribbean and arrival in Britain, social and family life in Preston, reflections on the meaning of home and belonging, and challenges of finding work and accommodation.  They tell of suffering and overcoming adversity and prejudice, as well as community self-organisation over the decades and how sport, religion, and workplace environments forged lasting friendships.  In his talk for the ‘In Dialogue’ series, Smith, will reflect on the co-production of these historical narratives.

Dr Helen Paul is an economic historian based at the University of Southampton.  She was the Honorary Secretary of the Economic History Society and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Helen and her colleague, Dr Gillian Kennedy, are working on a project, Black Communities in Hampshire.  The project aims to use existing oral history recordings from the 1980s onwards but also to commission new ones.  The new interviews will be carried out by younger members of the Black community in order to create a co-produced piece of research.  They aim to create a podcast and a temporary exhibition to look at the following themes: Black history and railways, and protest movements.

Padmini Broomfield has been an OHS trustee since 2009 and is Coordinator of the Regional Network and an Advisor for the South-East region. As Liaison Trustee she supports the Environment and Climate Change Special Interest Group (ECC-SIG). Her oral history journey began in the late 1990s at Southampton Oral History Unit with recording the life stories of Asian women, shipyard workers and local communities. Now a freelance consultant, she works with heritage, educational and community organisations on participatory projects that explore the lesser-known stories of people, places and working lives. She also provides training, mentoring and external evaluations for heritage projects. Recent oral history work has involved recording and editing interviews on migration, manufacturing, maritime and regeneration themes to create content for museum displays, audio posts, online exhibitions, and publications. She is particularly interested in collaborations where her interviews are interpreted and presented in creative ways to engage and captivate people.

Juanita Cox, is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Studies.  She is currently working on a three-year AHRC-funded oral history project, 'The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context', and is also a trustee on the board of the OHS.