In mid-September (16–19), Magdalena had the chance to take part in the international conference Re-thinking Oral History in Kraków, organized as the 23rd meeting of the International Oral History Association (IOHA). Hosted by the Polish Oral History Association together with the Faculty of History at the Jagiellonian University, the conference brought together nearly 400 researchers from over 50 countries.
Among the highlights of the conference was a keynote by Mary Marshall Clark, Director of the Columbia University Center for Oral History Research. In her lecture talk, she reminded us of something simple yet profound: oral history takes time, it cannot be rushed. Her words resonated deeply with Magdalena, reinforcing her own experience that building trust, establishing relationships, and conducting meaningful interviews all require patience. Some insights simply take time to emerge.
Magdalena also had the opportunity to present her own paper: The Haunting Painting of Jesus. Obstacles and Alternatives in Conducting Oral History Research within Post-Displacement Regions. In her research on religious communities in regions marked by displacement, she has often found that the oral history method alone is insufficient and must be combined with other research approaches, like an observant participant. To illustrate this, she spoke about the painting of Jesus salvaged from a blown-up Lutheran church in Liberec. Today, the picture hangs in the Czech Protestant prayer house, the community that is the heir to this building.
The conference program covered a wide range of themes, including minorities, migration, wars and armed conflicts, as well as ethics and the challenges of digitization. Beyond the lectures, what Magdalena valued most were the conversations, both formal and spontaneous. Some continued on long walks through Kraków’s royal old town, others during a festive dinner at Kościuszko Mound. Magdalena was delighted to return to the city where she once studied, this time in a new capacity, as a researcher.
