Every human being, be they anonymous or famous, has the right to preserve their story. This is the idea behind the Museum of the Person: a virtual museum with the mission to promote the democratization of social memory by valuing the life stories of everyone in society. Founded in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1991, the Museum of the Person developed an alternative method for collecting and systematizing life stories. Having developed around 220 projects regarding institutional memory, education, culture and community development, the institution currently has a collection of 16,000 recorded life stories and 72,000 digitalized photos and documents. Today, the Museum of the Person is a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest with an international network of life stories, as well as sister museums in Portugal, the U.S. and Canada. The methodology, called Social Memory Technology, was developed by the Museum of the Person over its 22 years of activity and defines three vital stages in the construction of a historical narrative for an individual or a group: constructing, organizing and socializing stories. This methodology allows any person, group or institution to take responsibility for the construction and socialization of their memory. The foundation is the history of each individual and ultimately socializing it with another group or community. This method, as well as allowing the group and individuals to be the authors of their own story, allows for dialogue and interaction.
