About this project
Credible Witnesses: Young People, Life Performance, and Testimonial Injustice
Credible Witnesses is an AHRC funded Research, Development and Engagement Fellowship (AH/Y004949/1) led by Dr Amanda Stuart Fisher. Working across life writing, philosophy, performance and other disciplinary contexts, the project aims to better understand young people’s lived experience of testimonial injustice and how it can be exposed and challenged. Focusing on practices such as verbatim, testimonial theatre, and autobiographical and solo performance, Credible Witnesses engages with the work of practitioners from the UK, USA, and Australia and explores how participation in self-narrated forms of performance can enhance young people’s capacity to articulate their experience of testimonial injustice and improve the support provided by professionals working in young people’s services.
Developed in partnership with Little Fish Theatre and Oldham Theatre Workshop, Credible Witness will engage with young people in London and Oldham through a series of workshops and a touring performance. The project will also work alongside social workers and other professionals working in young people’s services to produce training and other accessible outcomes with the potential to transform professional practice in schools, social work, and criminal justice settings, empowering young people to speak out about their experiences and ultimately laying the ground for forms of testimonial justice.