{"id":10301,"date":"2025-10-20T15:38:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/?post_type=articles&p=10301"},"modified":"2025-10-27T13:11:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T12:11:32","slug":"memory-quest","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/articles\/memory-quest\/","title":{"rendered":"Memory Quest: Reflections on crowdsourcing international testimonies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Oral histories offer invaluable insights into the past by embedding events within their lived social contexts and revealing perspectives often forgotten or neglected in archives. However, memories present a unique challenge for researchers because of their fragility: when the storytellers pass away, unrecorded stories can be lost forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Legacy of \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d Research Project<\/a> at the C\u00b2DH in collaboration with the Centre National de l\u2019Audiovisuel<\/a> (CNA) and funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund\u00a0(FNR)<\/a> began last year with the challenging Memory Quest <\/em>to locate people who saw \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d during its World Tour (1955-1963) and can remember it<\/strong>. Or at least, passed on their memories to families and friends in oral, written, or visual forms. Inherited recollections of visiting the exhibition, photographs, letters, and memorabilia related to the show, or even reflections on how the exhibition shaped their views on photography, humanity, or cultural identity are all welcome contributions to the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBuilding a Digital Crowdsourcing Platform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first step was to set up a landing page for the crowdsourcing campaign to explain the research project and detail the type of information we hope to find, including some visuals to jog the memory. Since many might have known \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d photographic collection from the exhibition catalogue rather than the show, we knew it was necessary to highlight the book cover. It was a popular gift through the 1950s and 60s and still sits in many homes today. In fact, it has never been out of print. Another important visual included on the landing page was a map depicting the international tour, with the locations and years when it was displayed in various cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reach an international audience, it was also necessary to bypass language barriers. After all, the exhibition travelled to over 40 different countries. Currently in 11 different languages, the text of \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d Crowdsourcing Campaign<\/a> encourages people to contribute to a more inclusive and diverse collective memory of the exhibition.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since people should feel free to contact the researchers in the language of their choice, the languages spoken by the team members are not specified. The team can supplement their linguistic abilities with AI translations to handle the expected diversity of languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, since the landing page only provides a general introduction, the project will rely on dedicated posters that localize the context, visualize it, and make it shareable. Below is a collage of these local posters, targeting cities like Santiago de Chile, Mexico City, Nairobi, Cairo, Jakarta, and Belgrade. These cities were chosen as case studies to ensure a balanced geographical representation across all continents, yet with a focus on the Global South. This is in response to the existing gap in the literature concerning the exhibition\u2019s presentation in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Additional selection criteria included a diverse range of exhibition venues and visitor numbers. Making use of established networks and the possibilities of digital sharing, posters have also been created to reach beyond the primary locations and inquire about \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d memories in Japan, the Philippines, and Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \n\"Collage

\n Collage of crowdsourcing and event posters for The Legacy of \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d Research Project <\/p>\n <\/figure>\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to note that digital crowdsourcing is planned as an amplifier, and does not replace in-person interactions.<\/strong> The collage includes posters of the first two open forum events organized on site: in Berlin (July 2025) and in Belgrade (August 2025). The crowdsourcing remains open after the in-person event and throughout the research project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cTell your story, on your terms\u201d: Ethical Practices in Memory Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ethical considerations are extremely important guiding factors for an appropriate oral history methodology. Taking note of the ACTIVE principles<\/a> that guide our Public History axis at the University of Luxembourg, I made sure that the discussion forums were free and that the chosen dates and locations remained accessible. Before asking to collaborate with local institutions or individuals, I emphasized the project\u2019s values of transparency and inclusivity, especially considering our positionality as a Luxembourgish institution conducting research in a wide range of locations with different economic and political realities. Adapting to the needs and wishes of the local partners<\/strong> continues to be the key driver of planning the on-site events. Providing me with a space to share my research project demands that they also benefit from the event as part of their cultural programming, a space to highlight their own work, or to connect their institutions with new publics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every individual who wishes to share their memories in an interview should sign a consent form specifying their rights to hold agency over the information provided and to withdraw from the research at any time if they wish to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, engagement doesn\u2019t end at the research visit.<\/strong> The Legacy of \u201cThe Family of Man\u201d Research Project<\/a> will continue running until mid-2028, and continuous communication with the local contributors is also planned to accompany it during the whole duration of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cKindly spread the word\u201d: Establishing Networks to Reach Wider Publics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digital crowdsourcing in the international sphere comes with constant calls for participation across social media channels, newsletters, and personal connections. The research project recognizes that its success largely depends on the networks established at the locations of analysis. The ability to locate and connect with local archivists, curators, photo clubs, and photo historians can make all the difference in the accessibility of research sources.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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