Center for Archival Futures' May 'First Wednesdays' Talk
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - 4:00 - 5:00 pm, Virtual / Zoom EST
Register here!
Abstract:
Drawing on their recent book, Decolonial Archival Futures (co-published with SAA and ALA), Hogan-Stacey and McCracken will discuss unsettling Western archival practices within Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. This presentation highlights the transformative potential of decolonization within archival practices through practical examples, with an emphasis on envisioning decolonial possibilities that are Indigenous-led and community-driven. Drawing on their personal experiences, the speakers will highlight the complexities of challenging colonial narratives embedded in archival processes. Through critical analysis and practical examples, McCracken and Hogan-Stacey share insights into incorporating Indigenous perspectives, methodologies, and voices in archival work.
Bios:
Krista McCracken (they/them) is an award-winning public historian and archivist. They work as a Researchers/Curator at Algoma University's Arthur A. Wishart Library and Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, in Baawating (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Métis people. Krista's research focuses on community archives, Residential Schools, access, and outreach. In 2020, they won the Best Article in Indigenous History prize awarded by the Canadian Historical Association's Indigenous History Group for their article "Challenging Colonial Spaces: Reconciliation and Decolonizing Work in Canada's Archives."
Skylee-Storm Hogan-Stacey (they/them) is a historian, author, and research analyst currently living and working on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabek in Ottawa, Ontario. A descendant of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawà:ke, Skylee-Storm has explored community archival practices, Indigenous archival access, Residential School history, Indigenous-Crown legal history, and oral history.
Since 2019, Skylee-Storm has worked with Know History Historical Services as a research historian in their Ottawa office. Skylee-Storm began their work unpacking and understanding Indigenous archives when they joined the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre in 2015. She has remained a collaborator with the Centre on projects related to community archives and site history. Skylee-Storm completed a rewrite of the Ontario Provincial Heritage Program plaque for Shingwauk Hall in 2022. After working with the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Skylee-Storm has become an advocate for critiquing archival power dynamics and settler Canadian historical narratives. Their forthcoming book with Krista McCracken, Decolonial Archival Futures, continues this work. Skylee-Storm is currently on an interchange assignment with the office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, as a policy analyst focused on archives and Indigenous data sovereignty.