MEMORIAMEDIA Review

Editor's note

Nota editorial

MEMORIAMEDIA Review 5. 2020. MI/IELT ISSN 2183-3753 - Filomena Sousa (coord.)

Life Stories and Narratives 1 / Histórias de Vida e Narrativas 1

The MEMORIAMEDIA Review publish its first issue on the theme "LIFE STORIES and NARRATIVES". Why this theme? The MEMORIAMEDIA Review works on intangible cultural heritage, collective memory and oral history, but why did we choose to work on this specific theme?

We justify this choice based on different assumptions. We can look at life stories and narratives as tools, techniques or even methodological approaches from the Social and Human Sciences. Still, we can go further and see life stories as expressions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Considering the 2003 Convention, UNESCO does not consider life stories as an ICH domain, but our life is a living heritage, which we transmit through generations and that defines us as individuals and as a collective.

Aren't our lives the most important heritage that we can share?

Everyone has a role in the community. Listening to their stories is a way to promote personal and social integration. It is a way to promote collective memory, cultural diversity and human creativity.