Imagining transformative spaces: the personal–political sites of community archives

Caswell, Michelle; Gabiola, Joyce; Zavala, Jimmy; Brilmyer, Gracen; Cifor, Marika

doi:10.1007/s10502-018-9286-7

Cited by 37 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…This indicates a critical research gap worthy of a larger project than this paper. Archival theorists have called for those in the sector to acknowledge the archivist's complicity in oppressive structures and build practices centring around liberation, social responsibility, and transformation (Caswell, 2017;Caswell et al, 2018;Roberts & Noble, 2016;Drake, 2019;Olson, 2001;Connolly, 2016;Lewis, 2018). However, we have struggled to identify any dedicated research exploring how workforce dynamics can contribute or reaffirm these structures.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brick Walls and Tick Boxes

Fife

Henthorn²

2021

IJIDI

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Archives Unlocked, the U.K. National Archives’ strategic vision for the archive sector, identifies the need for diversity to be embedded in all parts of the archives sector. As workers, we need to ensure that “the rich diversity of society is reflected in our archives’ collections, users and workers” (The National Archives, 2017, p.13). Despite strategic aims and investment in specific schemes (delivered by The National Archives, Creative Skillset, and the Heritage Lottery Fund) which seek to diversify the sector, there are still structural barriers which prevent the workforce from diversifying and realising these ambitions. In 2017, the authors of this paper began collaborating on a grassroots project to explore the experiences of archive workers from marginalised backgrounds. The project collected anonymous survey data from 97 people which explored experiences of work and qualification. As two archive workers who have experience of accessing the archive sector workforce via diversity bursaries and scholarship, we wanted our research to articulate a common set of frustrations that are often shared but rarely documented or consulted when developing diversity and inclusion strategies and schemes. By utilising lived experiences as our main research data in this paper, we re-centre discussions about diversity and inclusion around the lived experience of those currently on the margins of the archive workforce.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brick Walls and Tick Boxes

Fife

Henthorn²

2021

IJIDI

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“…For over two decades there has been a growing interest in the archive among artistic practitioners. This archival turn refers to the inclusion of archival materials in artistic works, and-following the theoretical reflections of Foucault ([1969] 1981) and Derrida (1995)-above all to the intellectual engagement with the archive as a conceptual entity and political construct that can function equally as a repository of knowledge and memory and represent claims to hegemony (Azoulay 2019;Callahan 2017;Enwezor 2008;Foster 2004;Rosengarten 2012).…”

Section: Encounters or How To Create A Dialog Between (Photo) Objects Of Art History And Objects Of Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Objects of Migration—Photo-Objects of Art History: Encounters in an Archive

Goldhahn

Ricciardo

2021

Visual Anthropology

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The essay focuses on an unsighted archive of migration that preserves numerous discarded objects from undocumented migration into Europe. This "trash" was recovered and stored by the artists Massimo Ricciardo and Thomas Kilpper, for whom the objects signify one of the most urgent societal challenges of our time. In the installation "Objects of Migration-Photo Objects of Art History," Ricciardo introduced some of these objects into the physical space of the Photothek of the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz to engage in a dialog with the photographical documents of this art-historical photo archive. That physical encounter between two completely different archives and objects raised questions about the significance and value of such objects of migration and their archive in regard to cultural memory and temporalities of cultural heritage. ARCHIVES ON THE MOVEWhat connects objects such as scraps of life-jacket fabric, SIM cards, shoe soles, letters or notebooks lost or discarded by undocumented migrants 1 on their perilous journey to Europe, and documentary photographs from a photographic collection of art history? At first glance, it seems they have little in common. The mix of survival materials and very personal belongings evokes the almost daily news in the press about the arrival of new migrants, discussions about border violations and quota allocations, reception camps, and regulatory measures. The photographs, mounted on cardboards and carefully labeled, present works of art and architectural monuments from the canon of Western art historiography and primarily serve art historians as study material for their research.

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“…Fourth, we have yet to witness a “user turn” in community archives scholarship mirroring the one that occurred in the 1980s with mainstream archives. More bottom-up perspectives building on Caswell et al (2018) would be fruitful. How many and what types of users specifically do community archives have?…”

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The information work of community archives: a systematic literature review

Poole

2020

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PurposeThis paper scrutinizes the scholarship on community archives' information work. Community archives and archiving projects represent unprecedentedly democratic venues for information work centering on essential documentary concepts such as custody, collection development and appraisal, processing, arrangement and description, organization, representation and naming, collaboration, resource generation and allocation, activism and social justice, preservation, reuse, and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachUnearthed through databases searches, citation chaining, and browsing, sources examined include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters published in the English language between 1985 and 2018.FindingsThe literature on community archives’ information work shows considerable geographical (six continents), topical, and (inter)disciplinary variety. This paper first explores scholars' efforts to define both community and community archives. Second, it unpacks the ways in which community archives include new stakeholders and new record types and formats even as they leverage alternative archival principles and practices. Third, it discusses community archives as political venues for empowerment, activism, and social justice work. Fourth, this paper delves into the benefits and challenges of partnerships and collaborations with mainstream institutions. Fifth, it documents the obstacles community archives face: not only tensions within and among communities, but also sustainability concerns. Finally, it sets forth six directions for future research.Originality/valueThis paper is the first systematic review of the community archives literature.

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Imagining transformative spaces: the personal–political sites of community archives

Cited by 37 publications

References 15 publications

Brick Walls and Tick Boxes

Brick Walls and Tick Boxes

Objects of Migration—Photo-Objects of Art History: Encounters in an Archive

The information work of community archives: a systematic literature review

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