Decolonising African Studies: questions and dilemmas for libraries, archives and collections

Monday, 10 June 2019, University of Edinburgh

Appleton Tower 2.12, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh EH8 9LE

 Programme

 9.00                Introductions

 9.05–10.20    Panel 1 – Decolonising library collections

Jenni Skinner, Mehves Dignum and Clara Panozzo Zénere (Cambridge University)

‘Decolonising library collections and practices at Cambridge University’

Justin Cox (African Books Collective) and Stephanie Kitchen (International African Institute)

‘African Books Collective: African published books for the North’

Gerard van Der Bruinhorst (African Studies Centre Library, University of Leiden)

‘On rape and revenge: reading Peggy Oppong’s “Red heifer” against the decolonisation of African Studies collections’

10.20–10.45 Coffee

10.45–12.15   Panel 2 – Decolonisation and archives in Southern Africa 

Mathias Fubah Alubafi (Human Sciences Research Council)

‘The HSRC Archives (1929–1968) in a changing South Africa’

Ken Chisa (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

‘Decolonising indigenous knowledge (IK) in South African archives: can policy learn from practice?

Livingstone Muchefa (National Archives of Zimbabwe) tbc

‘The archivist and the scholar: re-interpretation and re-location of colonial archives’

12.15–13.30   Lunch & AGM

13.30–15.00 Panel 3 – Archival histories and migrations

James Lowry (Liverpool University Centre for Archive Studies)

‘Repatriation is decolonisation’

Fabienne Chamelot (University of Portsmouth)

‘Splitting the colonial archives in half: archival expertise and decolonisation in West Africa, 1958–1960’

Isabelle Dion (Archives nationales d’outre-mer, France)

‘French decolonisation and archives’ (this paper will be delivered in French)

15.00–15.30 Tea

15.30–17.00  Panel 4 – Working with heritage collections

 Ahmed Hussein Abdelrahman Adam (University of Khartoum) tbc

‘Sudanese collections in the UK: current situation and challenges’

Joanne Davis

‘Accessing UK archival holdings from Africa’

Chimwemwe Phiri tbc

‘Unearthing new meanings: a decolonial framework for accessing and translating the Africa colonial archive at the Weston Library, University of Oxford’

17.00–18.00  Round table

The round table will provide an opportunity to discuss some of the issues raised during the conference in relation to the collections of major libraries and archives in the UK and internationally.

SCOLMA thanks ECAS, the University of Edinburgh, ASAUK and Taylor & Francis for their support of the conference.

 This programme is subject to change.

Conference fee £50 (£30 unwaged) to include tea/coffee and lunch. To book a place contact Sarah Rhodes (sarah.rhodes@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).