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This is where we are : Activating Identity through Emerging Archival Practices in Black European and African Diasporic Community Archives

Borgenstam, Cecilia LU (2025) ABMM34 20251
Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
Abstract (Swedish)
This thesis explores how Black and African-diasporic community archives in Europe respond to the legacy of colonial erasure resulting in archival silences by utilising emerging archival practices to shape identity and collective memory, and build archival repositories for the future. Focusing on the digital platforms of three European community archives: Black Archives Sweden (BAS), the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in the UK, and The Black Archives (TBA) in the Netherlands and using a qualitative thematic analysis of public-facing digital content, the research investigates how community archives utilise emerging practices to collect and preserve collective memory, while also building archives for the future with the support of... (More)
This thesis explores how Black and African-diasporic community archives in Europe respond to the legacy of colonial erasure resulting in archival silences by utilising emerging archival practices to shape identity and collective memory, and build archival repositories for the future. Focusing on the digital platforms of three European community archives: Black Archives Sweden (BAS), the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in the UK, and The Black Archives (TBA) in the Netherlands and using a qualitative thematic analysis of public-facing digital content, the research investigates how community archives utilise emerging practices to collect and preserve collective memory, while also building archives for the future with the support of community-centered engagement.
The study situates community archives as spaces that simultaneously preserve the past, engage the present, and create records for the future. By constructing a theoretical framework that draws from Hall’s conception of identity as both being and becoming, Ketelaar's tacit narratives, Caswell’s liberatory memory framework, and Bowker and Star’s theory on boundary objects, I analyse the archival intersection between repository content, digital tools, and community involvement. The study frames community archives as emotionally resonant cultural infrastructures that both resist and counteract archival silence. The findings also illustrate how community archives reimagine archival temporality and visibility while contributing to broader conversations around building future archives of true value to the community they serve. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Borgenstam, Cecilia LU
supervisor
organization
course
ABMM34 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Archive, Information, Community Archives, Black Archives, African Diaspora, Collective Memory, Identity Construction, Digital Platforms, Participatory Archiving, Liberatory Memory Work, Cultural Heritage, Boundary Objects.
language
English
id
9207090
date added to LUP
2025-09-16 08:42:23
date last changed
2025-09-16 08:42:23
@misc{9207090,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how Black and African-diasporic community archives in Europe respond to the legacy of colonial erasure resulting in archival silences by utilising emerging archival practices to shape identity and collective memory, and build archival repositories for the future. Focusing on the digital platforms of three European community archives: Black Archives Sweden (BAS), the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in the UK, and The Black Archives (TBA) in the Netherlands and using a qualitative thematic analysis of public-facing digital content, the research investigates how community archives utilise emerging practices to collect and preserve collective memory, while also building archives for the future with the support of community-centered engagement.
The study situates community archives as spaces that simultaneously preserve the past, engage the present, and create records for the future. By constructing a theoretical framework that draws from Hall’s conception of identity as both being and becoming, Ketelaar's tacit narratives, Caswell’s liberatory memory framework, and Bowker and Star’s theory on boundary objects, I analyse the archival intersection between repository content, digital tools, and community involvement. The study frames community archives as emotionally resonant cultural infrastructures that both resist and counteract archival silence. The findings also illustrate how community archives reimagine archival temporality and visibility while contributing to broader conversations around building future archives of true value to the community they serve.}},
  author       = {{Borgenstam, Cecilia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{This is where we are : Activating Identity through Emerging Archival Practices in Black European and African Diasporic Community Archives}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}