[Commlist] CFP: Disrupting Dominance in the Archive

*Call for Papers*

*Disrupting Dominance in the Archive*

Monday 5^th and Tuesday 6^th December 2022

It is anticipated that this conference will be held on-site at London 
College of Communication, or online.  Please indicate your preference 
when you apply.

*Aim and scope***

The Stanley Kubrick Archive (SKA) was donated to University of the Arts 
London in 2007.  The opening of the archive to the public reframed 
research into both Stanley Kubrick and the films he directed, allowing 
methodologies other than oral history and textual analysis to be applied 
to the study of Kubrick’s films and work. However, research conducted 
using the archive still overwhelmingly centres Kubrick and his creative 
input, reinforcing his status and dominance. The Stanley Kubrick Archive 
is filled with material, documents, and ephemera that can evoke the 
stories and voices of a myriad of other workers that can disrupt the 
narrative and myths surrounding Kubrick and his films. The SKA contains 
the identities and experiences of these other workers, yet their stories 
are not part of current histories. In the post-MeToo and post-BLM era, 
there is now an urgent need to re-evaluate film and media history and 
the way the archives of ‘canonical’ filmmakers are used to produce 
knowledge. How can a diversity of voices and identities be excavated 
from archives like the Stanley Kubrick Archive and highlighted?

This conference aims to disrupt traditional research into “identity 
archives” (Blouin and Rosenberg, 2011^1 ), like the Stanley Kubrick 
Archive. Identity archives are organised around particular histories and 
are designed to remember only certain elements of the past, therefore 
these ‘monuments’ present a problem for researchers and for our 
collective social memory. With this conference, we aim to (re)examine 
archives like the Stanley Kubrick Archive, to raise questions as to the 
contested nature of archives, to capture innovative archival practice, 
re-examine accepted archival methods and approaches, and problematise 
existing histories and narratives.

**

*Areas of interest – for papers*

Papers will be welcomed which explore new approaches to archives, 
particularly “identity archives”, such as the Stanley Kubrick Archive, 
the Anthony Burgess archive, the Alfred Hitchcock papers, the Sigmund 
Freud archive and others. We hope to bridge the archival divide and 
encourage dialogue between archivists and researchers.

We welcome papers from both researchers and archivists in any of the 
following broad areas:

  * Disruptive approaches to archives
  * Challenging auteur studies through archival research
  * Reappraising the canon through archival research
  * The contested nature of archives
  * Archives and problematising biographical research
  * Reading the archive ‘against the grain’: hidden stories, histories,
    controversies
  * Interrogating traditional assumptions around the uses and
    applications of archives
  * New archival practices
  * Materiality of the archive
  * Archival descriptions and catalogues
  * Archives and myth-building
  * Archival silences and absences
  * Exploring bias in archival research and practice
  * Unexplored archives
  * Showcasing creative responses and practice-based research

  * Exploring race, gender, sexuality, class in the archive
  * Intersectional approaches to Kubrick’s films
  * Interdisciplinary approaches to the SK archive (for example fashion,
    communications, architecture, art history and practice)
  * Digitisation of archive collections
  * Looking beyond the archive

**

*How to apply *

Please send 300-word abstracts, along with a brief biographical note, to 
Georgina Orgill (g.orgill /at/ arts.ac.uk) <mailto:(g.orgill /at/ arts.ac.uk)> and 
James Fenwick (J.Fenwick /at/ shu.ac.uk) <mailto:(J.Fenwick /at/ shu.ac.uk)> by 18th 
May 2022. Early submissions are encouraged.

The selection panel will inform you if your paper has been successful by 
the end of June.

*Bursary scheme *

The Conference is pleased to offer a limited number of bursaries to 
encourage new and emerging researchers who wish to take part.  These 
bursaries will help to subsidise the cost of travel, subsistence and 
accommodation necessary to assist research in the Stanley Kubrick 
Archive at UAL and deliver a paper at the conference. **

*If you wish to apply for a bursary*

Please email Georgina Orgill ((g.orgill /at/ arts.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(g.orgill /at/ arts.ac.uk)>) and Sarah Mahurter ((s.mahurter /at/ arts.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(s.mahurter /at/ arts.ac.uk)>) with the following information:

 1. Your name and contact details.
 2. Up to 250 words, summarising how researching in the Stanley Kubrick
    Archive will help you to prepare your conference paper and support
    your studies.
 3. An outline of the expenses you are likely to incur to carry out your
    research.

The deadline for applications is 18^th May.

Successful applicants will be informed by the end of June, when the 
papers are announced.

This conference is a joint collaboration across University of the Arts 
London, Kingston University and Sheffield Hallam University.

^1 Blouin Jr., F., & Rosenberg, W. (2011). Contested Archives, Contested 
Sources. In /Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in History and 
the Archives./ Oxford University Press.

---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------