Oral history, subjectivity, and environmental reality: occupational health histories in twentieth-century Scotland.
This essay uses oral histories of dust disease in twentieth-century Scotland to illustrate the ways in which such history can illuminate how the working environment and work cultures affect workers' bodies and how workers come to terms with the ill-health caused by their employment. It emphasizes the agency of the interpreter but argues further that oral histories of dust disease in twentieth-century Scotland are simultaneously influenced by, and evidence for, material conditions. The essay explores the notion that the bodies, not just the voices of interviewees, are material testament to health-corroding work practices, cultures, and habitat. The focus is the problems caused by the inhalation of coal and asbestos dust.
School of Law and Social Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, Scotland, G40BA. ronnie.johnston@gcal.ac.uk
Ronnie
R
Johnston
Arthur
A
McIvor
D006663:Historiography; D049673:History, 20th Century; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000266:history*; D011634:Public Health / Q000266:history* / Q000592:standards*; D012606:Scotland
D007220:Industrial Waste