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Imagining transformative spaces: the personal–political sites of community archives

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Abstract

Although much has been written about formal archival spaces, little scholarship has addressed the physical spaces of community archives. This paper asks: How do community members imagine the physical spaces that steward identity-based community archives? Based on focus groups with more than 54 community archives users at five different community archives sites across Southern California, this paper examines how members of marginalized communities conceive of the physical space inhabited by community archives representing their communities. The sites explored range from a prominent location on a university campus, to storefronts, strip malls, and small cinderblock buildings. Yet across sites, users spoke about community archives spaces as symbolic and affectively moving locations. Many users described their community archives site as a “home-away-from-home,” marked by intergenerational dialog and a profound sense of belonging. For other users, community archives sites were described as “politically generative spaces” which foster dialog and debate about identity, representation, and activism and enable the community to envision its future. And yet, while the very existence of community archives is political, many participants felt that the full political potential of these sites is not yet realized. By listening to the voices of the communities represented and served by community archives, our research both indicates that a shift is warranted in archival metaphors of space and reveals how community archives are personally and politically transformative spaces for the communities they represent and serve.

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Acknowledgements

This research was made possible by support from an Institute of Museum and Library Services Early Career Grant RE-31-16-0117-16, as well as support from UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Dean’s Diversity Initiative. The authors would like to thank Thuy Vo Dang, Sharon Sekhon, Michael Okamura, Jen LaBarbera, and Rosa Russ for their help in connecting us with their communities, as well as all of the focus group participants for their time and intellectual contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Michelle Caswell, Joyce Gabiola, Jimmy Zavala, Gracen Brilmyer & Marika Cifor

Authors
  1. Michelle Caswell
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  2. Joyce Gabiola
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  3. Jimmy Zavala
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  4. Gracen Brilmyer
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  5. Marika Cifor
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle Caswell.

Appendix 1: Focus group protocol

Appendix 1: Focus group protocol

Biographical and demographical info

  • What field are you in?

  • Would you describe yourself as a member of the community this community archives represents?

Research

  • Why do you come to this community archives? How often?

  • How long have you been using the materials at this community archives?

  • What materials have you used?

  • How have you used them?

  • What is your research about? How did you come to study that topic?

  • What is your experience doing research in this community archives?

  • Can you tell us a story about something you found in the archives and how you used it?

  • How central are the materials you found here to your work?

  • Prior to using this community archives, had you looked for materials in other archives? If so, what did you find? Can you describe this experience?

Community archives’ impact

  • How did you first find out about this community archives? What was your initial response to it?

  • Do you feel the records in this community archives are representative of the community you were interested in or apart of? Why or why not?

  • How would you describe the importance of this community archives to someone who has never seen it before?

Conclusion

  • Is there anything we haven’t asked that you would like to discuss?

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Caswell, M., Gabiola, J., Zavala, J. et al. Imagining transformative spaces: the personal–political sites of community archives. Arch Sci 18, 73–93 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-018-9286-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-018-9286-7

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