ARCH 311 - Towards a Liberatory Archival Practice

Archives—the textual records of the past—are products of power. Marginalized voices often enter the written record only in relationship to the state. Oral history, public history, digital humanities, activists, and community archivists seek to transform how archives work, where they reside, who gets to use them, and how they are used. In short, we are at a moment of radical transformation and possibility. This course provides an overview of scholarship and praxis on community archives, touching on both public history and digital humanities. It asks two profoundly theoretical and practical questions: What is an archive? What is its role in society? The course will be of interest to archivist and historians, and anyone who aspires to work with community to counter official narratives. Students will read theoretical texts, examine case studies, gain expertise in best practices, and explore diverse digital tools. Final projects include, but are not limited to, historiography papers, archival research, and uploading and curating archival items related to Dr. Guzmán’s public history projects, which includes Hip Hop in the Central Valley, Futbol in California, and El Monte. This course fulfills a requirement for the History/Archival Studies MA. This course also fulfills the Cultural Studies research tool requirement, the SAH American Studies concentration and the U.S. and American Studies tracks in the History program.
Units: 4
Course Type: Seminar