(Writing Myself into) Betty White’s Stories: (De)constructing Narratives of/through Feminist Sport History Research

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper I explore the complexities of feminist sport history research, oral history, and my role as the researcher through an interview encounter I shared with Elizabeth (Betty) White who, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, represented the Thorold and Hamilton, Ontario, athletic clubs in a variety of events. She also competed as part of the Canadian team at the 1934 British Empire Games and the 1934 Women’s World Games. In this paper, I write myself into the oral history process. I aim to interrogate the potentials, challenges, and messiness of oral history research and explore how I influence(d), enable(d), and at times, constrain(ed) the (de)construction of narratives. I call for a more complex understanding of the researching self and reflexivity in oral sport history research.