‘In Dialogue’: OHS/IHR on the Remaking Britain Project
The Oral History Society (OHS) has, in partnership with the Institute of Historical Research, 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 eleventh edition of the In Dialogue series, first established in 2022, our guest speaker, Dr Maya Parmar will be reflecting on the use of oral history in her project, Remaking Britain: South Asian Connections and Networks, 1830s to the present. This will be followed by a discussion led by Rumi Dahar for the OHS and opened to the audience.
Chair: Prof. John Gabriel, London Metropolitan University & Chair, Oral History Society
Discussant: Rumi Dahar, Ph.D. Candidate, SOAS & Trustee, Oral History Society
Speaker: Dr Maya Parmar, Queen Mary University of London
Bios below:
All welcome
This event is free to attend, but booking is required.
In this eleventh edition of the In Dialogue series, first established in 2022, our guest speaker, Dr Maya Parmar will be reflecting on the use of oral history in her project, Remaking Britain: South Asian Connections and Networks, 1830s to the present. This will be followed by a discussion led by Rumi Dahar for the OHS and opened to the audience.
Chair: Prof. John Gabriel, London Metropolitan University & Chair, Oral History Society
Discussant: Rumi Dahar, Ph.D. Candidate, SOAS & Trustee, Oral History Society
Speaker: Dr Maya Parmar, Queen Mary University of London
Bios below:
- John Gabriel is the current Chair of the Oral History Society and Professor of Sociology at London Metropolitan University. He is currently working on a community oral history project called 'Life on the Andover Estate'. (https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/articles/life-on-the-andover-estate-an-oral-history-project/)
- Rumi Dahar (he/they) is an AHRC-funded Ph.D. candidate in the School of History, Religions, and Philosophies at SOAS. His collectively-produced research explores the spiritual & embodied, political and philosophical project of seeking. The communal nature and queer temporalities and orientations of the seeking/becoming journey are reflected in oral history interviews, in which Muslims of marginalised genders and sexualities wove together their life histories and relationships with Islam, Islamic feminism, and (inclusive) Muslim spaces. Rumi co-curated an exhibition inspired by the oral history interviews in order to bring the stories and reflections to their wider LGBTQIA+ and feminist Muslim community and beyond. They are a Holstein Doctoral Fellow in Queer and Trans Studies in Religion at University of California, Riverside, and a trustee of the Oral History Society.
- Maya Parmar is a Researcher to ‘Remaking Britain: South Asian Connections and Networks, 1830s to the present’ at Queen Mary University of London. Parmar has an interest in minoritized identities, and in particular cultural narratives and representations of belonging amongst the South Asian diaspora. After completing her funded doctorate (2013) on what she calls the ‘double diaspora’ – that community that have migrated from India to East Africa to Britain – she took up a research role at The Open University (2013 - 2021). Alongside her research, Parmar leads Hadithi, which is dual stranded: it has a consultancy arm and the social enterprise division called Hadithi C.I.C. Hadithi C.I.C works in the heritage sector, with community groups, schools and cultural organisations, offering ways of remembering, learning and connecting.
All welcome
This event is free to attend, but booking is required.
This page was last updated on 14 March 2025
