Archival Pedagogies 2024 / Indigenous Data Sovereignty in the Archives: Applying anti-colonial and de-colonial paradigms 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 final workshop is entitled “Indigenous Data Sovereignty in the Archives: Applying anti-colonial and de-colonial paradigms in archival education ”. This workshop will consider how archival educators can engage with anti-colonial and de-colonial paradigms to support Indigenous self-determination, cultural safety and transparency in the archives. Given the calls to dismantle white privilege and to increase Indigenous voices in the archives, new archival frameworks are needed to address tensions of power and representation in the archives. Drawing on experiences of Indigenous Archives in an Australian context, the workshop will introduce new topics and teaching methods for educators to challenge the colonial foundations of the archives. Topics include:  

• Understanding the importance of teaching about the contested nature of the archives for Indigenous people: The Australian example  
• Consideration of anti-colonial and de-colonial approaches in archival education  
• Principles and methods for dismantling practice to support Indigenous wellbeing in the archives  
• Discussion on importance of the application of Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles in archival education.   

This session will be facilitated by Dr Kirsten Thorpe (Worimi, Port Stephens). Thorpe is a Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research, University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Kirsten leads the Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub, which advocates for Indigenous rights in archives and data, and develops research and engagement in relation to refiguring libraries and archives to support the culturally appropriate ownership, management and ongoing preservation of Indigenous knowledges.

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/