International Oral History Association


The International Oral History Association is a professional association established to provide a forum for oral historians around the world. IOHA was formally constituted in June 1996 at the IXth International Oral History Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. It holds international meetings biennially and publishes a newsletter and journal, Words and Silences/Palabras y Silen, in English and Spanish.
In 2019, the book Giving a voice to the Oppressed? The International Oral History Association as an academic network and political movement edited by Agnès Arp, Annette Leo and Franka Maubach was published, tracing the early history of the IOHA.

IOHA Presidents & Vice-Presidents

  • , 1996–2000; Vice-Presidents Marieta de Moraes Ferreira, Alistair Thomson
  • Marieta de Moraes Ferreira, 2000–2002; Vice-Presidents Janis Wilton, Gunhan Danisman
  • Janis Wilton, 2002–2004; Vice-Presidents Rina Benmayor, Gerardo Necoechea
  • Rina Benmayor, 2004–2006; Vice-Presidents Funso Afolayan, Gerardo Necoechea
  • Al Thomson, 2006–2008; Vice-Presidents Pilar Domínguez, Alexander von Plato
  • Pilar Domínguez, 2008–2010; Vice-Presidents Antonio Montenegro, Sean Field
  • Miroslav Vanek, 2010–2012; Vice-Presidents Juan Gutiérrez, Miren Llona
  • Anna Maria De La O, 2012–2014; Vice-Presidents Andrea Casa Nova Maia, Helen Klaebe
  • Indira Chowdhury, 2014–2016; Vice-Presidents David Beorlegui, Mark A. Cave
  • Mark A. Cave, 2016–2018; Vice-Presidents Avehi Menon, David Beorlegui
  • Sue Anderson, 2018–2021; Vice-Presidents Mark Wong, Outi Fingerroos
  • David Beorlegui, 2021-2023; Vice-Presidents Mark Wong, Martha Norkunas
  • David Beorlegui, 2023-2025; Vice-Presidents Tian Miao, Leslie McCartney
  • Mark Wong, 2025 - 2028, Vice-Presidents Tian Miao, Jakub Gałęziowski

International Oral History Conferences

Conference No.LocationDatesTheme
IBologna, Italy1976
IIColchester, England1978
IIIAmsterdam, Netherlands1980
IVAix-en-Provence, France1982
VBarcelona, Spain1985
VIOxford, England1987
VIIEssen, Germany1990
VIIISiena, Italy1993
IX*Gothenburg, Sweden13–16 Jun 1996Communicating Experience
XRio de Janeiro, Brazil14–18 Jun 1998Oral History: Challenges for the 21st Century
XIIstanbul, Turkey15–19 Jun 2000Crossroads of History: Experience, Memory, Orality
XIIPietermaritzburg, South Africa24–27 Jun 2002The Power of Oral History: Memory, Healing and Development
XIIIRome, Italy23–26 Jun 2004Memory and Globalization
XIVSydney, Australia12–16 Jul 2006Dancing with Memory: Oral History and its Audiences
XVGuadalajara, Mexico23–26 Sep 2008Oral History - A Dialogue with our Times
XVIPrague, Czech Republic7–11 Jul 2010Between Past and Future: Oral History, Memory and Meaning
XVIIBuenos Aires, Argentina3–7 Sep 2012The Challenges of Oral History in the 21st Century: Diversity, Inequality and Identity Construction
XVIIIBarcelona, Spain9–12 Jul 2014Power and Democracy: The Many Voices of Oral History
XIXBengaluru, India27 Jun1 Jul 2016Speaking, Listening, Interpreting: The Critical Engagements of Oral History
XXJyväskylä, Finland18–21 Jun 2018Memory and Narration
XXISingapore 23–27 Aug 2021Harmony & Disharmony: Bringing Together Many Voices
XXIIRio de Janeiro, Brazil25–28 Jul 2023Oral History in a Digital and Audiovisual World
XXIIIKraków, Poland16–19 Sep 2025Re-Thinking Oral History