Every year, International Archives Week brings together the global archival community to highlight the vital role of archives in society. In 2026, International Archives Week (#IAW2026) will take place from 8–12 June 2026, organised by the International Council on Archives (ICA) under the global theme #ArchivesForJustice: Rights, Memory & Futures.
As part of this global programme, the ICA is organising a series of online webinars throughout the week to explore how archives contribute to justice in diverse and evolving contexts.
This webinar, Self-Determination and the Recognition of Non-Sovereign Peoples’ Archives, is organised by ICA’s Expert Group on Shared Archival Heritage (EGSAH) and will take place on Thursday, 11 June 2026 at 18:00 CET (Paris time). This online session will examine the relationship between archival practices and the political, cultural, and epistemic claims of non-sovereign peoples.
Bringing together scholars and practitioners, the webinar will examine how archives are implicated in processes of dispossession, fragmentation and control, but also how they may serve as instruments for visibility, advocacy and the affirmation of collective rights. Particular attention will be given to subnational and non-state contexts, where struggles over custody, access and representation reflect broader questions of autonomy, memory and justice. By situating archival debates within frameworks of self-determination and shared heritage, the webinar aims to foster critical dialogue on the recognition, restitution and governance of archives beyond the state-centric paradigm.
The session will be moderated by Laureano de Macedo (Chair of ICA/EGSAH) and features contributions from Mercè Monje Cano (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) and Dr. Alexander Manby (King’s College London).
More information on presentations and speaker biographies can be found below.
KEY INFORMATION
Date
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Time
18:00 – 19:00 CET (Paris time). To confirm the date/time of this session in your time zone, please use the following link.
Location
Online.
Language
English. Automated translation of subtitles will be available.
Date
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Time
18:00 – 19:00 CET (Paris time). To confirm the date/time of this session in your time zone, please use the following link.
Location
Online.
Language
English. Automated translation of subtitles will be available.
Agenda
- Opening remarks and introduction
- Keynote intervention by Mercè Monje Cano – Focus on representation, identity, human rights and the role of archives in supporting non-sovereign peoples
- Presentation – Archiving and the aspirational politics of self-determination by Dr. Alexander Manby
- Discussion / Q&A
- Closing remarks
Speakers
Mercè Monje Cano
Mercè Monje Cano is Secretary-General of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), where she leads the organisation’s strategic direction, institutional development, and external engagement in support of unrepresented nations and peoples worldwide. Her work focuses on representation, human rights, identity, and democratic participation, with particular attention to communities facing exclusion, repression, and denial of their rights. Within UNPO, she has contributed to the development of work on identities and narratives, recognising the importance of preserving memory, testimony, and cultural continuity as part of broader struggles for dignity, recognition, and self-determination. Her engagement with these questions includes attention to the role of archives and documentation in safeguarding the historical presence, continuity, and visibility of non-sovereign peoples.
Dr. Alexander Manby
Dr Alex Manby is a Research Associate in Human Geography at King’s College London. Prior to joining King’s, he was a Lecturer in Geography at the University of Oxford, where he also completed his PhD and BA degrees. Alex’s research examines how international politics is imagined, practised, and experienced by actors excluded from statehood – namely, minority, Indigenous, and stateless communities. Alex is also interested in the politics of archiving; particularly the deficiencies of state-centric archives for understanding stateless communities’ international politics and the role of archives in shaping political and legal claims-making. He is currently pursuing this interest through an ongoing collaborative project to digitise the archives of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).
