Archiving

The archive is meant to preserve material that has been generated by individuals, communities, organizations and institutions and is considered by archivists to have long-term value. Through practices of appraising, selecting, describing and making useable and accessible archival materials, the archive enacts and reproduces values.

In this seminar reflection, archivist and artist Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski and sociologist of science Tahani Nadim facilitate a discussion with the participants of their seminar Archiving, which has taken place over the course of the week. They draw on issues of archiving and how each of the investigated case studies was developed through various concepts of the archive – such as oral history, dancing, singing and cooking – and in this way works toward equity and social justice.