VISU member Katarzyna Ruchel-Stockmans and student Zoë Kennis (Talent for Research Program) will be presenting their research at the Intermedial Networks -- The Digital Present and Beyond, organized from 23-25 October 2024, and taking place at Linnaeus University in Växjö. Their presentation is titled Remediating photography in community archives and the question of epistemic reparations.
Community photographic archives are distinguished by their bottom up and inclusive approaches, which are rooted in participatory archiving methodologies, including open source access and grassroots contributions (Ruchel-Stockmans 2022). In the context of a digitally interconnected environment, characterized by heightened connectivity and accessibility, digital community archives hold the potential to forge a more diverse and inclusive understanding of the past and foster broader participation (Azoulay 2019). This includes the amplification of marginalized perspectives, notably those of African American communities. Using Fortepan Iowa as a case study, a digital photographic archive to which Iowans can upload their private photographs, this paper aims to examine the affordances and challenges of the archive in shaping a diversified collective memory. Drawing from a social justice and epistemic reparations approach (Caswell & Punzalan 2016; Lackey 2022), this research seeks to shed light on how social exclusion can be resisted or inadvertently perpetuated, when transferring photographs from an analogue and private sphere into a digital heritage environment. As such, this paper aims to contribute to a critical understanding of the possibilities and challenges which community archives face to surpass historic prejudice and construct a more diverse understanding of the past.
More information can be found here.