Urgent Archives

by Michelle Caswell

Urgent Archives argues that archivists can and should do more to disrupt white supremacy and hetero-patriarchy beyond the standard liberal archival solutions of more diverse collecting and more inclusive description. Grounded in the emerging field of critical archival studies, this book uncovers how dominant western archival theories and practices are oppressive by design, while looking toward the the radical politics of community archives to envision new liberatory theories and practices. Based on more than a decade of ethnography at community archives sites including the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), the book explores how members of minoritized communities activate records to build solidarities across and within communities, trouble linear progress narratives, and disrupt cycles of oppression. Caswell explores the temporal, representational, and material aspects of liberatory memory work, arguing that archival disruptions in time and space should be neither about the past nor the future, but about the liberatory affects and effects of memory work in the present. Urgent Archives extends the theoretical range of critical archival studies and provides a new framework for archivists looking to transform their practices. The book should also be of interest to scholars of archival studies, museum studies, public history, memory studies, gender and ethnic studies and digital humanities.

Genres: Nonfiction

142 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Victoria (Eve's Alexandria) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's exceptionally rare for me to add a 'work book' to my Goodreads, but since I read this in its entirety and took a lot from it, I wanted to leave a note about it. If you're at all interested in archives (or libraries) and current critical debates around their value and purpose, then Michelle Caswell gives an excellent summary of both her own work and that of other scholars working on community archives, social justice and reparation. The first chapter makes some brilliant interventions from queer theory and critical race theory, and the fourth chapter introduces important new concepts for thinking about liberatory archival and memory work. It's joyfully disruptive of dominant Western narratives about what archives are and do - which is right up my street but will undoubtedly draw down a lot of criticism from within the field and the wider profession. If Caswell hadn't already established herself as one of the most compelling voices in archival theory already, then this book would probably do the job.

[Emma G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this book and the concrete recommendations in her final chapter. I hadn’t previously considered how archives could be activated in the present to advocate for material resources like reparations. I think I mostly thought of archives’ liberatory power as solely belonging to the realm of representation/visibility, which she discusses. Her distinctions and connections between representation and activation were helpful framings.

Much of the book is articulating a perspective that is going up against the established/mainstream predominantly white American archival orgs. Since I’m new to this field, it was hard for me to fully feel the weight of her arguments because I haven’t yet been immersed in this specific field enough to know about how archives are traditionally managed or discussed. She is bringing up important perspectives and resources, though, that I think will be useful to develop a critical lens when entering this field.

It was surreal to read this right now because she writes about the 2016 election and the cyclical nature of oppression, critiquing the notion that there is some natural inevitable direction of humanity toward social progress. I think the main point she is trying to make is that things will not just get better on their own or with time; we have to tear down/transform our systems, and community archives have the potential to help us do this.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for librarians and historians.

[yujin]

read in 2024 for class. unfortunately this book is bad, would much rather recommend her journal articles like "dusting for fingerprints". it's ironic how much time she spends trying to unpack her white guilt in this book, only for that exact white guilt to be the most glaring and distracting obstacle in her attempt to make a point

[Lenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurslitteratur men kommer verkligen ta med mig saker från den till min aktivism???? Mycket tankar om att vi inte kan förvänta oss en ljus framtid (vilket i sig bara är en konstruktion av modernismen och återigen känner jag fan vad jag hatar upplysningen!) och att fokusera på vad vi kan göra här och nu i stället för att bevara saker för en avlägsen framtid som kanske inte ens kommer inträffa. Älskar kritisk teori?? Hjälpte mig äntligen förstå temporaliteter mer vilket jag haft svårt med men varit fascinerad av!! Vet inte riktigt varför jag inte ger 5 stjärnor, kanske för att jag tycker hennes idéer är bra men själva handlingarna hon beskriver inte känns så revolutionerande som hon beskriver dem som? Hoppas att hon fortsätter som akademiker dock och tar fram bättre praktiska tillämpningar och kanske i ett bredare/fler fält än bara arkivstudier?

[Mica Caine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for archivist, archival researchers, and librarians. But I’ll dare to say it’s foundational for folks working within the built environment especially community engagement within marginalized communities. Caswell takes a critical look at the white temporal imaginary which sees time as linear. This work challenges the reader to not only decolonizing their relationship with time, but stresses the urgency of liberatory memory work on the present. This text changed my life!

[Lobke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another archival world is possible!