Archival Research and Education Institute (AERI) 2023,
School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, June 19-23, 2023
(Full details about AERI below our call)
Panel Organizers:
Lydia Curliss (Nipmuc Nation), University of Maryland
Ia Bull (ᎦᏚᏩᎩ & Natchez), University of Maryland
Amanda Sorensen, University of Maryland
Diana Marsh, University of Maryland
Keywords: Indigenization, reparative practice, decolonizing methodologies, Tribal archives
Panel Abstract:
Shifting practices and scholarship in the archival field is moving towards what has been termed a “reparative turn” (Sedgwick 1997), defined by the Society of American Archivists as the “remediation of practices or data that exclude, silence, harm, or mischaracterize marginalized people in the data created or used by archivists to identify or characterize archival resources (SAA Dictionary of Archives Terminology). While this work is gaining traction in “mainstream” archival spaces, in Native and Indigenous archival work, decolonizing frameworks, Indigenous data sovereignty, Tribal archives, and community archives are driving the development of specific knowledge organizations, ontologies, and platforms that reflect Indigenous knowledges and epistemologies, and which are often locally or regionally tailored (Littletree and Metoyer 2015; Christen 2020; Smith 2021). These Indigenous knowledge ontologies and descriptive practices reframe core Western archival principles. Aligned with these reparative and decolonizing approaches, there are movements toward Indigenizing theoretical frameworks. Indigenizing, as defined by the University of Canada Alberta:
…is a collaborative process of naturalizing Indigenous intent, interactions, and processes and making them evident to transform spaces, places, and hearts. Indigenization benefits not only Indigenous students but all students, teachers, staff members, and community members involved or impacted by Indigenization.
While the concept of Indigenizing has not gained as much traction in archival spaces, examples of Indigenizing work includes work that focuses on communities’ needs and priorities such as reparative descriptions, working towards archival material return, or engaging with communities to build out projects that center and benefit community needs.
This panel seeks to highlight new work and research in archival spaces seeking to Indigenize archival concepts, systems, collections, or wider practices. We are looking to highlight the work particularly of those who are engaged in Indigenizing practices, in their own institutions or partner repositories, and scholarship that engages with these ideas through examining theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological perspectives.
Abstracts should be submitted by email to Ia Bull (iabull@umd.edu) by Friday, January 27 with the following information:
* Name
* Tribal or Indigenous affiliation (if applicable)
* Institutional affiliation and title/role
* Paper title
* 250-word abstract
* Email contact information
About AERI:
The School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) at Louisiana State University (LSU) is proud to host the fifteenth annual Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI), the first to be held in-person and in-hybrid formats since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual week-long summer Archival Education and Research Institutes (AERIs) are working Institutes are designed to strengthen education and research and support academic cohort-building and mentoring. The Institutes are open to faculty and graduate students working in Archival Studies as well as to others engaged in archival education and scholarship, both nationally and internationally. Past institutes were held at UCLA in 2009, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2010, Simmons College in 2011, UCLA in 2012, University of Texas at Austin in 2013, the University of Pittsburgh in 2014, the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2015, Kent State University in 2016, and the University of Toronto in 2017, the University of Alabama in 2018, and at the Liverpool University Centre for Archive Studies (LUCAS) in 2019. AERI 2020, 2021, and AERI 2022 have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the AERI Initiative:
The Archival Education and Research Initiative is a collaboration among the leading archival education programs in the U.S. and worldwide to train and support future archival faculty and enhance the education of archival professionals. AERI’s goal is to stimulate the growth of a new generation of academics in archival education who are versed in contemporary issues and knowledgeable of the work being conducted by colleagues. The initiative seeks to nurture and promote the state-of-the-art in scholarship in Archival Science, broadly conceived, as well as to encourage curricular and pedagogical innovation in archival education across the United States and worldwide. The project was initially developed with the support of two four-year grants (2008-2014) from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services – Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. It was directed by a consortium of eight U.S. universities with doctoral specializations in archival studies.
How much will AERI 2023 cost?
The registration rates will be finalized and provided within the acceptance notice in March. The current draft rate ranges are $550-$650 (USD) for non-students and $350-$450 (USD) for students. The rates will include housing and several meals. The final rates may be lower due to sponsorships and other outside funding.
