Memory and Identity: an Interdisciplinary Research Network

The Royal Society of Edinburgh funded research network Memory and Identity: an Interdisciplinary Research Network in Scotland, facilitates discussion and debate on two issues crucial to all societies, identity and memory. The network involves academics and members of the community in online and face to face discussion about the creation and preservation of memory with a view to encouraging the exchange of views and growth of research in this important area. The Memory and Identity Network Project builds on the successful predecessor RSE research project, Investigating the Archive, also led by the University of Dundee from 2007-2009. www.investigatingthearchive.org/

The Investigating the Archive project held three workshops and three conferences on the key role of the archive within the humanities. The Philosophy of the Archive conference, the second of three, held on 10-11 April 2008, provides a theoretical interface with the current Memory and Identity project. www.investigatingthearchive.org/philosophy-archive/

The Memory and Identity project has held a number of inter and cross-disciplinary events throughout the past two years.

Workshops:

1. The Archive is Politics – and we cannot be neutral:

This workshop was inspired by Randall Jimerson’s most recent book, Archives Power: Memory, Accountability, and Social Justice, 2009, US. Workshop themes included an examination of recent theory on the power of archives and the role of archivists in society and a consideration of ideas about the political implications of the archive and their affect on traditional notions of remembrance, evidence, and documentation.

2. Oral History and community:

Oral history is key to the construction of memory and identity and the involvement of local communities is integral to discussions about creating and preserving these personal and societal memories. This workshop is the initial stage in an oral history project to be undertaken by the University and will provide a forum for archivists, historians and the community to discuss the issues involved in capturing oral memory.

3. Discovering Scotland's Historic Collections

This final workshop is a cross-sectoral collaboration between cultural institutions. The themes include how memory is captured and represented though archival records, art, museum artefacts and other cultural icons; and how access to these is encouraged. This is being delivered in the context of discussions in the University on the role of Public History in the formation of identities.

Public lectures:

Four public lectures have been held:

‘Archivists and the Call of Justice’, Professor Randall Jimerson, Western Washington University, US
‘Gender and Cultural History: the Future of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Scottish History’? Dr Katie Barclay, University of Warwick
‘Creating Histories for ourselves and others: The role of the University Archivist’. Siobhan Convery, University of Aberdeen, Patricia Whatley and Caroline Brown, University of Dundee
‘Family History and The Media: creating memory in the 21st century’, Dr Nick Barratt, Find My Past (A University of Dundee Saturday Night Lecture)

Conference:

A major international multi-disciplinary conference, is being held in Dundee, 8-10 December, 2010: Memory, Identity and the Archival Paradigm: an interdisciplinary approach. Originally planned for two days, it is now to take place over three days due to the quality of the submissions. Speakers represent a number of disciplines including history, archival science, philosophy, art and design, technology and phenomenological research and cultural studies. Keynote speakers are:

Terry Cook, Emeritus Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada
Graham Dominy, National Archivist of South Africa
David Lowenthal, Emeritus Professor of Geography and Honorary Research Fellow, University College London and author of The Past Is A Foreign Country

Conference website: www.dundee.ac.uk/cais/memoryandidentity

Publications:

A number of project publications are forthcoming:

Two special editions of Archival Science (volume 9, nos. 3 and 4, December 2009) were published following the Investigating the Archive Project.
The project leaders will guest edit a further edition of Archival Science based on papers from the Memory and Identity conference. Archival Science is the only independent, international, peer-reviewed journal on archival science.
An article in the Journal of the Society of Archivists by Patricia Whatley on 'Employers vs Society: Ethics and Morality in the Workplace Environment'
An article in ARC by Caroline Brown on ‘Archival Issues in the Digital Age.’
Further publications and commentary is planned on the project’s blog.

Advisory Board:

The project has benefitted from the advice and support of an Advisory Board comprising leading figures in the fields of archival science, history and philosophy.

PhD Programme:

Concurrently with the existing projects, an interdisciplinary doctoral programme on 'memory' has been established within the Centre for Archive and Information Studies, with philosophy and history, at the University of Dundee. The first student commenced her doctoral studies in July 2010.

Memory and Identity Conference Home

Web pages updated 14 October 2010 by Michael Bolik. Feedback or questions relating to the webpages are welcome - please email archives@dundee.ac.uk