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Citation: 

Pelletier, Marie A. "Finding Meaning in Oral History Sources through Storytelling and Religion.” In Beyond Testimony and Trauma: Oral History in the Aftermath of Mass Violence, edited by Steven High, 332-50. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2015.

Abstract/Summary: 

Pelletier examines the role of religion in oral history by doing a case study of Ven Runnath, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge who resides in Montreal. Interestingly, although Runnath was a Buddhist during the time of the regime, she converted to Christianity afterwards, and now frames her remembrances of that era using Christian symbolism and imagery. As stated by historian Luisa Passerini, “To respect memory also means letting it organize the story.” Oral storytelling narratives allow survivors to recount and interpret the events that shaped their lives, and give those events, and their lives, more clear meaning. Pelletier argues, “If oral history analysis goes beyond observing what people recount to scrutinize how they recount it, we may arrive at a deeper understanding of the subjective experience of interviewees… religion can provide… a framework through which they try to explain all aspects of life.”

Source/Credit: 
Shannon Leggett