Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0279 - Decolonizing the Archives: Division II/III Research Seminar

How have archival methodologies participated in the ongoing processes of settler colonialism and imperialism, in the U.S. and elsewhere? How have political and social movements archived themselves, and how have they been represented in archives? How can we approach archival research, and archiving itself, as practices of decolonization? What are the stakes of digitizing paper archives, and how are archivists, researchers, and activists archiving "born digital" materials, ranging from reports of police violence to Instagram memes? How do archives remain vital in a global pandemic and a moment of rising fascist movements? In this research- and writing-intensive seminar, these questions will guide our discussions and projects. During the first half of the semester, we will (virtually) visit institutional, community, and radical archives and develop critical and methodological tools for archival practice. The second half of the semester will focus on developing and completing an independent archival research project, using digital collections. No previous background in archival research is required and students in all fields are welcome, including those in creative fields; this course is most appropriate for Division II students and first semester Division III students.

In/Justice This course is fully remote. Students in this course can expect to spend 8 to 10 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.