“Oral Histories in Cypriot Classrooms: Memory, Reconcilia on and … · 2015-10-15 · OHA 2015:...

OHA 2015: Cyprus-Oral History & Reflexivity 10/16/2015

John W. Higgins CC License: Att, Non-Comm, Share Alike 1

“Oral Histories in Cypriot Classrooms: Memory, Reconcilia�on

and Divided Communi�es”

John W. Higgins Media Studies University of San Francisco [email protected] www.mediaprof.org -‐-‐ “Resources OHA 2015”



Paper available: www.mediaprof.org -”Resources: OHA 2015”

www.mediaprof.org ”OHA 2015”



Peace-‐building Through Listening, Digital Storytelling and Community Media in Cyprus

Global Media Journal: Mediterranean Edi�on Archive – Spring 2011 globalmedia.emu.edu.tr/

www.mediaprof.org -‐-‐ “Resources: OHA 2015”

5

www.cyvoices.org



  Engaged Pedagogy   Freire   Cri�cal Pedagogy

  Apple, Giroux, McLaren   Revolu�onary Cri�cal Pedagogy

  McLaren, Kincheloe   Feminist Pedagogies

  Ellsworth, Gore, Lather, Luke   Radical pedagogy

  Hooks   Transforma�ve Learning Theory

Mezirow, Taylor



  Addresses:   Involvement in the world beyond classroom walls   Personal and social transforma�on   Self-‐reflexivity and learning

  Both students and teachers   Nature of learning and power rela�ons

  Including gender-‐based structures & processes

 Dervin’s Sense-‐Making Methodology   Meta-‐theory   Implementa�on of Engaged Pedagogy

 Oral History   Thompson, Gabriel, Reinharz

  Peace-‐building & Conflict Transforma�on Lederach, Diamond and McDonald



  Some students: Shi� in perspec�ve toward history, poli�cs, and culture.   Self-‐reflexivity: method of promo�ng personal and social change.   Interviewees: addi�onal personal insights into life experiences   self-‐reflexive tools within SMM   “I hadn’t thought of [the experience] that way before now.”

 Need to create space for transcendence to occur   Inside classroom   Beyond classroom

 Oral history projects + self-‐reflexive analysis   Link classroom with community   Sharing with family and neighbours   Encourage “deep listening”



  Crucial: Cri�cal self-‐reflec�on on the project experience   Students forge connec�ons between the stories they hear and cri�cal processing of that informa�on



1974



www.cyvoices.org



Turkish Cypriot Stories



All the Turkish children and Greek children grew up together. They were good neighbours. The Greek people were always ready to lend a helping hand to people. They learned each others' language. . . .

My best friends were Greek. They were sincere, and we had a good rela�onship. . . .

“My opinion is that if peace was to be declared, rela�onships regarding the Turkish and Greek people would be the same as before. If there is to be peace, I want to meet with my best friend and resume our friendship as before.”

(Cyprus 1996: Durum)

Turkish Cypriot housewife, 75 yrs of age (1996); ; father was shoemaker.



  Reflexivity throughout course   Resources: www.mediaprof.org

  “Resources OHA 2015”:   Reflexivity Guide   End of term Reflexivity Form

  “Daniel Hadji�offi’s Iden�ty”   Read by U of Cyprus students prior to digital stories   Reflexivity on Cyprus situa�on

 Digital Storytelling – promote reflexivity

 Center for Digital Storytelling

www.storycenter.org   Berkeley, California, USA   Joe Lambert, founder

32

 Digital Storytelling   Seven Stages: Story and the Human Experience






33

Greek Cypriot Stories



  Personal connec�on with experiences of families and neighbors  Oral History and Reflexivity in building peace

  “Cultural Memory of Peace”   Student interviews with elders   (family, village)   A �me when TC & GC lived together in peace

  Cul�vate par�cipant reflexivity   Cul�vate student “deep listening”   Aided by digital storytelling prac�ces

  Student reflec�on on what learned www.cyvoices.org



Another incident . . . took place during the . . . invasion in 1974. One of my brothers remained in the village along with some other people.

One day, a group of Turkish Cypriot soldiers from Chados were asked by Turkish generals to gather the people of Marathovounos. They wanted to judge them and make them pay for the pillages they commi�ed against the proper�es of Turkish Cypriots of Chados during the incidents of 1964.

…

… However, when the Turkish Cypriot soldiers saw who these people were, they said to the generals that they had captured the wrong people, because with these people they used to live, work, eat, and have fun together. One of them said: “These people are our brothers. They never hurt us.” ...

Also, one of the Turkish Cypriots secretly put a packet of cigare�es in the pocket of a cap�ve.

Finally, they convinced the Turkish generals to let them go and thus my brother and the others were spared.



Student Response

“When he told us this I was a bit surprised. Who could ever imagine that rela�onships of brotherhood existed between people of the two communi�es and that they would protect each other due to the fact that they had shared so much in the past?

…”I wonder whether I would ever say something like that one day, or if a Turkish Cypriot would ever say such a thing about me.

I was even having doubts about what he said to us and I remember talking to myself, saying “could this actually be true?” As it seems, it was indeed very much true.”

(Delf, 2010)

Student Response

“…Mrs. Anna was telling us about a Turkish-‐Cypriot woman, called Eminet . . . in 1963, when the conflicts between Greek-‐Cypriots and Turkish-‐Cypriots started taking place, that woman moved to Nicosia, for her husband was killed.

“As Mrs. Anna suggested, Eminet’s husband was probably killed by some Greek-‐Cypriot members of EOKA because he was poli�cally ac�ve. In addi�on, she told us that the killings of Turkish-‐Cypriots were not uncommon but they were simply silenced by the Greek-‐Cypriots.

(Effie, 2010)



Student Response “This fact caught me by surprise . . . for I was not aware of

it. . . . “I realized that all these years I was living in a lie, for I

believed that the Greek-‐Cypriots were not responsible for what had happened back then and that they were just vic�ms of the whole situa�on. Mrs. Anna pointed out to me that the Greek-‐Cypriots had a share of responsibility as well.

“Once I heard about this, I became even more curious to listen to what she had to say and the more she was telling us the more fascinated I was by her story and by her a�tude towards this ma�er. “

(Effie, 2010)

•  Engagement with family and community beyond classroom – Deep listening

•  Present an experience of the interviewee – from their perspec�ve –  Tell their story



  Provided connec�on between elders and students in the Greek Cypriot community   Encouraged par�cipants to talk about experiences typically silenced in the culture  New perspec�ves

  Encouraged students to rethink values, beliefs, and worldviews both personal and social,   Personal and social change?   Build on previous reflexive prac�ces   Digital storytelling

  Some students: Shi� in perspec�ve toward history, poli�cs, and culture.   Self-‐reflexivity: method of promo�ng personal and social change.   Interviewees: addi�onal personal insights into life experiences   self-‐reflexive tools within SMM   “I hadn’t thought of [the experience] that way before now.”



 Need to create space for transcendence to occur   Inside classroom   Beyond classroom

 Oral history projects + self-‐reflexive analysis   Link classroom with community   Sharing with family and neighbours   Encourage “deep listening”

  Crucial: Cri�cal self-‐reflec�on on the project experience   Students forge connec�ons between the stories they hear and cri�cal processing of that informa�on






Addi�onal



  Reflexivity throughout course   Resources: www.mediaprof.org

  “Resources OHA 2015”:   Reflexivity Guide   End of term Reflexivity Form

  “Daniel Hadji�offi’s Iden�ty”   Read by U of Cyprus students prior to digital stories   Reflexivity on Cyprus situa�on

 Digital Storytelling – promote reflexivity

 Center for Digital Storytelling

www.storycenter.org   Berkeley, California, USA   Joe Lambert, founder

 Digital Storytelling   Seven Stages: Story and the Human Experience






51

/



  Everyday people telling their stories of significance   transcendence, transforma�on   using simple media tools

  Story-‐focused   Keys:

  “Story Circle”   Community gathering to share completed stories

 Guided by an agreed theme   Cyprus: significant loca�on or object/ar�fact

  3 minutes or less   Personal narra�ve & voice   Personal photos  Use pauses, black on screen for emphasis   Story developed in group “Story Circle”   Community screening of stories



 Goals: using storytelling and media technologies as tools for   personal change / societal change   community building and conflict transforma�on*   develop a community’s stories – and history   link community back to its stories

  crea�ng stories from the grassroots that ma�er

*Lederach, 2003

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57

58



59

The story makers

60



A Picture of Hope Pembe, CCMC 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/xgr5h5GVbKo

To Grow Up Tijen, NEU 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/yjkhYQ59Jjc

The Soul is a Conqueror Natasia, UofCy 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/DXRmt1Y74OY

The Big Ques�on of My Life Zehra, Sidestreets 2008

h�ps://youtu.be/xqpE9WowIs8

My Grandmother’s Radio Kyrianos, Grade 6, Highgate School 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/22SkuKTukdw

My Grandma’s Clock   Andreas, Grade 6, Highgate School 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/mZuOU9c5E2E

62



A Picture of Hope Pembe, CCMC 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/xgr5h5GVbKo

To Grow Up Tijen, NEU 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/yjkhYQ59Jjc

The Soul is a Conqueror Natasia, UofCy 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/DXRmt1Y74OY

The Big Ques�on of My Life Zehra, Sidestreets 2008

h�ps://youtu.be/xqpE9WowIs8

My Grandmother’s Radio Kyrianos, Grade 6, Highgate School 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/22SkuKTukdw

My Grandma’s Clock   Andreas, Grade 6, Highgate School 2010

h�ps://youtu.be/mZuOU9c5E2E




“Oral Histories in Cypriot Classrooms: Memory, Reconcilia on and … · 2015-10-15 · OHA 2015:...

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