The Reparative Potential of Building Relationships: Archivists and Researchers in the Reading Room

Abstract

This conference session, entitled "Reflecting Back, Looking Forward: Reparative Approaches to Oral History Archiving and Practice," continued the Oral History Association's dialogue on race and power in oral history, with a particular focus around oral history archiving. The panel examined the ways in which archivists have taken a reparative approach to legacy oral history collections in their stewardship, and the ways they see the work and practice evolving. As part of this panel, my paper explored reparative work through the lens of dialogue and critical inquiry in the reading room, including fostering transparency about archival interventions and collection provenance, and inviting critique of collections and collecting practices.