Black Archival Experiments

This course examines the political and cultural significance of the archival turn in Black Studies. Considering the fraught nature of historical documents that narrate the history of the United States, Black Studies scholars and creatives have developed experimental and interdisciplinary methodologies to remember and archive the stories, histories, and narratives of Black communities. In this class, we will engage two key questions: How do Black scholars and artists use and imagine the archives to tell alternative stories of Black life? What is the relationship between speculation and archival practice in Black culture? Students will engage the work of scholars and artists such as Saidiya Hartman, Christina Sharpe, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Hortense Spillers, Octavia Butler, among many others. Alongside course materials, students will also experiment and engage with the Black Feminist Theory Collections at the John Hay library.