Witness Seminars

At its biennial conferences, and associated history of medicine meetings, ANZSHM has supported the organisation of a Witness Seminar relevant to history of health and medicine in Australia, New Zealand and/or the Pacific region.

Witness Seminars are a form of group oral history, a model pioneered by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London. During the seminars, a historian guides a group of people who have witnessed particular events or developments in reminiscing, discussing and debating a topic.

ANZSHM’s Witness Seminars are interactive, held before a participating audience of historians, scientists, clinicians and other interested parties. Questions such as 'What was it like at the time?' and 'Why did things happen the way they did?' form the backbone of discussions. The proceedings are recorded and, where possible, transcribed.