Remediating photography in community archives and the question ofepistemic reparations

Abstract

Community photographic archives are distinguished by their bottom up and inclusive approaches, which are rooted in participatory archiving methodologies, including open source access and grassroots contributions (Ruchel-Stockmans 2022). These archives constitute new intermedial networks, in which historical and analogue vernacular photography is reshaped into novel assemblages. In the context of a digitally interconnected environment, characterized by heightened connectivity and accessibility, digital community archives hold the potential to forge a more diverse and inclusive understanding of the past and foster broader participation (Azoulay 2019). This includes the amplification of marginalized perspectives, notably those of African American communities. Using Fortepan Iowa as a case study, a digital photographic archive to which Iowans can upload their private photographs, this paper aims to examine the affordances and challenges of the community archive in shaping a diversified view of history. We will argue that an intermedial perspective can shed light on how the transfer of photographs from an analogue format and a private sphere into a digital heritage environment reconfigures these personal souvenirs into catalysts of collective memory. Drawing from a social justice and epistemic reparations approach (Caswell & Punzalan 2016; Lackey 2022), this research seeks to uncover how social exclusion can be resisted or—sometimes inadvertently— perpetuated. As such, this paper aims to contribute to a critical understanding of the possibilities and challenges which community photographic archives face to surpass historic prejudice and construct a more diverse understanding of the past.