Archives as multifaceted narratives: linking the ‘touchstones’ of community memory

Battley, Belinda; Daniels, Elizabeth; Rolan, Gregory

doi:10.1080/01576895.2014.911675

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…As illuminated in the previous chapter, the challenges of archival methodologies are twofold: ensuring collections are extensive, and the public can adequately see themselves reflected within them. In an effort to democratize theories and models of archives, and ultimately mitigate archival biases, communication patterns, and community requirements of the digital era, as well as methods allowing communities to control their own access, management and interpretation of collective memories, need to be fundamentally integrated into the archivist's kit (Battley, Daniels, and Rolan 2014). Shilton and Srinivasan (2007) uphold that cultivating participatory methodologies allows for a preventative measure over the distortion of cultural heritage, particularly with regards to marginalized populations.…”

Section: Introduction: the Medium Is The Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

me-dérive: toronto: Remediating the [AR]chival Impulse

Morais

2024

Preprint

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This dissertation is an innovative exploration of the intersections between participatory archiving and augmented reality (AR), rooted in the necessity to engage more fully with Toronto’s diverse and historical cultural heritage. Foregrounded as research-creation, this work describes, theorizes, and disseminates an AR counter-archive— me-dérive: toronto. Mobilizing power away from institutional archives and into the hands of the public, me-dérive: toronto uses the power of locative media in order to provide records of Toronto’s diverse past and present in-situ. A portmanteau of the word ‘mediation’ and the Situationist’s notion of the dérive, the app produces a new paradigm to the archive— one that is simultaneously participatory and techno-informed. With every found photograph and submission alike the project multiples both in volume and vigor to combat the archival injustices that fail to narrativize Canadian immigrant identities. This counter-archive reclaims space through a participatory visual account of history, allowing for a different kind of knowledge—one that is techno-embodied—to emerge and be embraced. As the scope of the records and overall scale of the project amplifies, it engages a layer of complementary principles— the accrual of diverse narratives, the opposition of pre-prescribed history by governing institutions, and the dynamism to employ technology to engage critically with heritage records beyond the confinements of exclusive cultural spaces. Through historical research, precedent scanning, insights into cultural production, participatory and mobile app observation and research-creation projects, counter-archival projects demand that institutions become more inclusive, not only in collection practices, but in dissemination and access practices as well. My research addresses the gaps and omissions that exist in our institutional archives, while making explicit what is needed to make a more holistic, comprehensive archive of Toronto’s diverse narratives.

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Section: Introduction: the Medium Is The Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

me-dérive: toronto: Remediating the [AR]chival Impulse

Morais

2024

Preprint

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“…Secondly, community archives are places (physical or otherwise) that validate and provide access to community memory and the stories that may be created from it (Battley, Daniels and Rolan, 2014; Flinn, 2011). They can be symbolic places (Caswell et al , 2018) that enable a space for what the community wants to remember about itself, rather than what an authority or outside agent wants to have remembered about that community.…”

Section: Defining the Themes Around Community Archivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining the undefinable: an analysis of definitions of community archives

Welland

Cossham

2019

GKMC

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Purpose This paper aims to explore definitions and notions of what a community archive is, and the tensions between different understandings of community archives. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a critical analysis of community archives definitions and understanding from researchers and practitioners across the wider heritage information sector. Findings Community archives are a growing area of interest for researchers because of the archives’ intrinsic link to the community and their provision of the evidence of it. While discussion often focuses on a paradigm of transformative purpose, existing definitions around community archives continue to be tenuous, reflecting different real or perceived types and practices and the perspective of the author and the sector they work within. Variations in definition can also occur because of differences in perspective around theory and practice, with many practitioner-based definitions intrinsically bound with the community they represent. This can result in community archives being defined as “alternative” based on mainstream practice or “political” based on theoretical purview, or “meeting the needs of community” by the community archivists themselves. Research limitations/implications The paper is conceptual and does not attempt to provide one definition that covers the perceived extent of community archives. It is part of work in progress on the nature of community archives and the impact such discourse may have on archival theory and practice. Originality/value This paper provides an overview of some of the key issues and themes impacting a definition of community archives, and in doing so works towards a broader understanding the nature of community archives. In most cases, the concept of “community” seems to provide a common definitive element and practitioner definitions focus on addressing the needs of self-defined community to a greater or lesser extent.

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Co-producing archival research with communication, reflexivity and friendship: crossing the three-wire bridge

Battley

2017

Arch Sci

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Archives as multifaceted narratives: linking the ‘touchstones’ of community memory

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

me-dérive: toronto: Remediating the [AR]chival Impulse

me-dérive: toronto: Remediating the [AR]chival Impulse

Defining the undefinable: an analysis of definitions of community archives

Co-producing archival research with communication, reflexivity and friendship: crossing the three-wire bridge

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