FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2024

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Hide and Seek: Locating the Agency and Power of Archivists in the Neoliberalist Structures of Audio-Visual Archives in India

This study examines the complex interplay of social, cultural, political, and personal factors within India's national audio-visual archives, focusing on the evolving role of archivists as cultural laborers in an increasingly neoliberal organizational structure. The research aims to elucidate the manifestation of archivists' collective agency within the intricate mechanisms of India's bureaucracy and governmentality, particularly in relation to media archives. The investigation is predicated on the conceptualization of national audio-visual archives as multifaceted cultural institutions tasked with preserving the nation's audio-visual heritage. The study's genesis lies in the observed augmentation of organizational hybridity, primarily driven by the government's digitally optimistic and economically instrumentalist objectives.

Employing a theoretical framework informed by Bourdieu's concept of ‘capital and power relations’, the research critically analyses the autonomy of archivists in the process of 'archivisation' of India's national audio-visual heritage. It explores the dichotomy between 'politicians and bureaucrats' wielding fiscal and social capital, and 'professionals and intellectuals' possessing cultural capital, as manifested in the formal information discourse of archives. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing in-depth interviews with media archivists and historians closely associated with both public and private Indian archives. Thematic analysis of these interviews, will elucidate the conceptual underpinnings of changing dynamics in archiving and heritage management.

By situating film archives at the intersection of archival, cultural, heritage, and media studies, this research aims to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the significance and authority held by those who operate these institutions. The findings are expected to shed light on the personal perspectives of archivists regarding their current capacities and anticipated future responsibilities within the elaborate mechanism of India's audio-visual archival institutions. This study's relevance lies in its potential to inform policy and practice in the management of national audio-visual heritage, particularly in the context of evolving digital landscapes and neoliberal governance structures.

Entangled narratives of restitution between Europe & Africa in audiovisual archives

The restitution of African cultural heritage, stolen during the colonial period and currently kept in European institutions, is an on-going societal challenge at the heart of many discussions in political, cultural and academic circles. It is a tangled topic which is gaining traction in Europe after decades of pressure from African scholars and activists. One notable development has been its increasing presence in the media over the last few years, with numerous news reports, debates, talk-shows, documentaries, and coverage of key events. Thanks to media monitoring and a brief consultation of online collections, it appears that certain narratives on the restitution of African cultural heritage are taking shape across several European countries. 
Among other aspects, these narratives give a prominent role to the French president, bring States as key actors, and shed a spotlight on well-known objects such as the Benin Bronzes, whose photographs are now commonly associated with the topic. By doing so, these narratives tend to simplify the issue in ways that affect both public discourses and public opinions regarding the restitution of African cultural heritage. Therefore, through this project, I will explore European and African audiovisual archives to analyse narratives on the restitution of African cultural heritage, and identify various and potentially competing narratives, discover transnational exchanges, analyse the evolution of discourses across languages and the role played by images, and shed light on processes of inclusion and exclusion of specific actors and institutions. 
In terms of methods, I will use an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from media history and narrative studies, in order to identify how public discourses have evolved across European countries and languages, with a welcome perspective from Ghana which will offer a counterpoint to unearth new media narratives.