Obituary: Dr Neil Rafeek

Dr Neil Rafeek, 17 November 1960 - 8 April 2006.

Neil Rafeek was one of Scotland's foremost oral historians, a vocation that he loved passionately and played a significant role in promoting. He was born in London, the middle of Taureq and Susan Rafeek's three sons. His father was a town planner and regularly moved with his work. After a few years in Bristol the family moved to Edinburgh, where Neil attended primary school, then six years later moving to Sunderland. His experience at secondary school prevented Neil from successfully completing his early education and, leaving with just one 'O'-level, he entered the building trade to train as a bricklayer.

As a mature student he enrolled at Strathclyde University, attracted by its non-elitist history and the socialist traditions of the city of Glasgow. After completing his first degree he went on to do a PhD on Women and the Communist Party in Scotland which he completed in 1998. It was the first oral history based PhD to be awarded in the Department of History at Strathclyde University.

Neil developed into a brilliant oral historian, among the best and most respected oral history interviewers in Scotland. Typically Neil didn't just limit his involvement to his own work, but actively helped to build, manage and run the Scottish Oral History Centre at Strathclyde University. It is no accident that Neil excelled in oral history as he quickly established a rapport with his respondents. This was an extension of his personality. His interest in peoples' stories and lives was genuine and deep and they opened up to him because they were treated with respect and the utmost courtesy. Neil was very aware that he was being given access to peoples' most precious, and sometimes traumatic, memories. This enabled him to delve deeper than most, one of his themes being that in everyone there is always another story. This was not, however, a means of gaining material to be exploited. Neil always insisted on transcribing his interviews and returning them to the interviewees for approval before they were used in publications.

He brought his own style to teaching, which at oral history day schools was particularly inspirational. Whilst taking an essentially democratic approach to his work, which respected the individuals who shared their testimony with him, Neil also ensured that rigorous standards applied to his methodology and research. He did much to cement oral history as an academic discipline in Scotland.

He had a growing reputation for his expertise on the history of the Socialist Sunday Schools and had a list of publications to his credit, most recently contributing to the Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. His other work included co-authoring the University Experience - a History of Strathclyde University, extensive work on occupational medicine and dust related diseases, the Salt of the Earth Working Lives Project and a new project on combat experience in World War Two. He had several articles to his credit, including a co-authored article in the Journal of Oral History on the anti-Iraq War demonstration in Glasgow in February 2003. Neil was also out last year, mini-disc in hand, recording history as it happened, at the Make Poverty History demonstration in the Meadows in Edinburgh.

From a young age Neil suffered ill health and was often at odds with the medics, seeking alternative ways to manage and improve his condition. Despite, or perhaps even because of, his health Neil distilled the essence of life and lived it to the full. It has been said that he didn't have 'interests', but rather passions. Oral history was only one of these. He also loved good food, theatre, film and popular music, particularly The Beatles. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the development of different bands and musical genres and was perhaps the only person who could be equally happy listening to Matt Munro, The Dubliners or Deep Purple.

Neil was a committed socialist, first getting involved in combating racism and fascism in the Anti-Nazi League in the 1970s. He was active in the Labour Party and the trades union movement, holding positions such as constituency secretary, election agent and treasurer of his UCCAT branch. Remaining committed to his ideals he eventually left the New Labour party. Neil had a long association with international solidarity causes and was the founding treasurer of the Scottish Cuba Defence Campaign.

His enthusiasm and commitment will be sorely missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

Arthur McIvor, University of Strathclyde

This obituary first appeared in the Glasgow Herald.