Event
Archive Fever After Empire: Microfilm, American Archivists, and the Postcolonial Tropics in the Era of Global Decolonization
Author: Boyd Ruamcharoen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception will begin at 4:30 PM.
In establishing their archives after decolonization, postcolonial archivists faced a shortage of extant documents. As they sought to repatriate historical materials from their colonizers, American archivists promoted microfilm copying as a solution, citing the U.S. as the model postcolonial nation who likewise had to copy overseas records. This dissertation chapter explores how U.S.-led archival internationalism—rooted in the American experience of assembling archives for Turnerian frontier history—was thwarted by tropical climates that undermined archival preservation in postcolonial nations. It reveals international, imperial, and environmental dimensions of key American archival innovations, including the MHS’s publication of the Adams Papers.
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Hybrid Event
The in-person reception starts at 4:30 PM and the seminar will begin at 5:00 PM.
Masks are optional for this event.
The virtual seminar begins at 5:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
By registering you are agreeing to abide by the MHS Visitor Code of Conduct.
