Working Group: Archives & Human Rights

The relationship between archives and social justice is often understood in terms of the role archives can play in human rights prosecutions. This working group aims to broaden this understanding by examining the transformative potential of what archives can do and be. To that end, we would like to bring together faculty, students, archivists, administrators, and community partners interested in critical approaches to archive-building and analysis. We have a particular interest in facilitating connections among the different special collections and archives across the campus and in promoting their use in classroom teaching. More generally, we wish to consider how the academy can be more radical in archiving and exhibiting public life—especially in collaboration with communities that are typically excluded from archival practices.

If you are interested in becoming involved with this working group, please email Sabrina Barton at sabrina.barton@austin.utexas.edu.