Paper short abstract:

The presentation reflects on how the author´s perception of her role in the interview has changed over nearly 30 years of interviewing Holocaust survivors. Self-reflection helps her to understand the multiple layers of knowledge she gains from research.

Paper long abstract:

The presentation reflects on how the author´s perception of her role in the interview has changed over nearly 30 years of interviewing Holocaust survivors, primarily through the oral history method, resp. deep interviews. In a few examples, she rethinks the slow process of honing her attention, perception, and sentence formulation in conversation, which naturally led her to the point where she 'discovered' the method of autoethnography and reflective writing. Self-reflection helps her to understand the multiple layers of knowledge she gains from research, although it is often a difficult and fragile process when trying to find a balance between what needs to be processed within herself and what is selected for public presentation (Behar 1996:19). Author stayed that only interviews built on trust, as a safe space where both actors: researcher and narrator can uncover their own vulnerability, are beneficial to our knowledge. The autoethnographic method offers insight into the entire process - interview construction and the relationship of its actors. At the same time presents the outcome, the knowledge that the researchers have got (Ellis, Adams, Bochner, 2011:277). Combining the expertise and the ability to work with understanding, empathy, and self-reflection, scholars working with the autoethnographic method offer a quality starting point even in times of contemporary uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, the related economic instability, and the worsening global ecological situation. Above all, researchers who interview and explore the narratives of survivors of genocide, war, or other traumatic events.