Session One (Day 1, 90 Minutes)

_{Instructor: Julio César Díaz Calderón}

_{Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM IST}

Outline: 

1. Cultivating Stories in Unexpected Spaces and Themes

a. Introduce three key avenues through which storytelling has entered the Social Sciences and Humanities. We will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with these approaches, alongside practical tools to overcome obstacles like writer’s block, impostor syndrome, and the intimidation of a blank page. Various writing styles will also be examined to inspire creativity. 

 2. Storytelling with Archives 

 a. Introduction to how storytelling reshapes historical research and our understanding of the past. We will focus on trans/feminist/queer and postcolonial/de(s)colonial methods that reimagine archives. Topics include the tension between fact and fiction, different types of archives, and the uses of storytelling the past in research and political activism. Participants will reflect on the archive’s role in storytelling and its broader implications for political narratives. 

Session Two (Day 2, 90 Minutes)

_{Instructor: Julio César Díaz Calderón}

_{Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM IST}

_{3. Critical Life Storytelling} 

_{a. Life history methods have become central to Social Sciences and Humanities research. We will examine how trans/feminist/queer and postcolonial/de(s)colonial life histories challenge discriminatory representations by academic, medical, and political elites. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining critical perspectives, asking who tells the stories, for whom, and to what ends. Participants will explore the ethics and politics of life storytelling as a tool of resistance.} 

_{4. Political Storytelling in Community} 

_{a. We will review examples of research that actively supports communities in resisting structural domination. Discussions will center on speaking with communities rather than about or for them, as well as navigating insider, outsider, and intermediary roles. We will address issues like unequal labor distribution in collaborative projects, ethical paradoxes in the field/in politics, and ensuring equitable sharing of the benefits derived from community efforts.}