"Porcelain Stories": oral history and the history of porcelain industry in Latvia

With the restoration of independence in the 1990s, the Latvian industry had to adapt to a globalised world, when many countries were already in the phase of de-industrialisation. Companies and entire industries that had previously played a significant role in the region’s economic and social space downsized or partially or completely disappeared, leaving evidence of their existence in both physical artifacts and in the fates and personal stories of many people. In recent years, researchers and the general public in Latvia have increasingly turned to the study of the industrial heritage of the Soviet period, including by recording eyewitness accounts of the history of various industrial sectors. Preserving the memories of former factory workers provides an opportunity to broaden knowledge about an important period in Latvia’s history, to learn about the daily life of various factories, the experiences, reflections, observations, and memories of their employees. The aim of the article is to analyse the possible contribution of oral history to the knowledge of industrial history in Latvia, based on theoretical findings and interviews with former workers of the Riga Porcelain Factory. The interviews were conducted over several years within the framework of the Riga Porcelain Museum project which resulted in the book “Porcelain Stories: Memories of the Employees of the Riga Porcelain Factory” (2020).