Burcu is a Ph.D. student at the Sabanci University Gender Studies program. She conducted an interview with “Manolya”. For her, Oral History project which was a stimulating experience. This interview taught Burcu how ordinary women's life stories must be listened through “muted channels” to reveal the unheard and the untold.
Burcu:
“As a Ph.D. student in Gender Studies, I had a particular interest in this oral history project since I see oral history as a unique methodology which opens up a space for ordinary people, and women in particular. The interview I conducted with "Manolya" allowed me to witness a young woman’s resilience and attempts to deal with various kinds of repression while in search of herself. I must confess that, because I had some information about Manolya’s career, ethnic identity and sexual orientation, I had a particular story in mind before the interview. She taught me that I could be a good listener by listening to her life story. This was unexpected, different from my expectations, and therefore of interest to me. While doing the transcript, I realized the significance of deep listening to achieve a more sophisticated analysis. This kind of knowledge production is tranformative for me.”
From the interview:
“I must have such a passport that people would not judge me any other way whenever I go to any place I want in the world.”
In this project, the interviewee preferred to remain anonymous.