Archival Pedagogies 2024 / Incorporating critical perspectives in archival education

The ICA Section for Archival Education and Training (SAE)  is excited to extend an invitation to all its members to participate in a series of four virtual workshops titled “Archival Pedagogies“ scheduled to take place between May and June. 

The third session, titled “Incorporating Critical Perspectives in Archival Education“ aims to recognize the conceptual shifts in archival studies that have been stimulated by recent academic research, particularly within critical archival studies. 

Recent academic production in archival studies has illuminated significant questions about archival theory, leading to new ways of conceiving the discipline, the archive, archival principles, and the rethinking of archival practices. It is crucial to integrate these new theoretical perspectives into archivists’ training, not only to update curricula with the latest disciplinary trends but also to address fundamental contemporary issues such as the plurality of archives, social justice, the role of archives in power dynamics, and the political role of archivists. Engaging with these issues in archival education expands professional possibilities, fosters critical and creative thinking, and encourages research to tackle vital societal problems. 

The workshop aims to recognize conceptual changes in the discipline based on academic production, propose methods for integrating new content into archival education curricula, and suggest methodological approaches for addressing these issues in the classroom. Facilitated by María Cristina Betancur Roldán, a historian and PhD student, the workshop will foster discussion and reflection to establish a situated and contextualized dialogue among participants.  

Betancur is currently a PhD student in Comparative, Political and Social History at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Professor-Researcher in the programme on Archives of the Inter-American School of Library Science at the University of Antioquia (Medellín-Colombia) since 2006. She has research and publications in disciplinary foundations, training and history of archival science. 

The workshop is free and open to the ICA/SAE members. Registration is required to receive full details on how to connect to this virtual meeting.    

If you are an ICA member but not yet a member of ICA/SAE, you can easily join us by following these steps: Go to your profile, select “edit profile,” navigate to the “Professional Sections” section, and choose SAE as one of your Sections. Don’t forget to save the updates at the bottom of the page! 

If you are not an ICA member, visit the following page to learn more about how to be part of our international professional network: https://www.ica.org/become-an-ica-member/