The Nineteenth-Century Archive as a Discourse of Power

Interdisciplinary Conference at the Durham Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies, supported by the British Association for Victorian Studies and the Royal Historical Society.

What is a nineteenth-century archive, broadly defined? Do archival holdings today still run the risk of perpetuating the ideological frameworks within which they were created? Moreover, what are the discourses of imperial power that lie behind the institutional curation and presentation of material – and what are the ethical implications for the researcher? Indeed, the cultural imperative to inscribe and classify data lies at the heart of the growth of archiving in the nineteenth-century world. This is further complicated by the fact that the wealth of nineteenth-century material, especially ephemera, that is flooding the digital humanities has preempted a revolution in the way that academics understand, define and negotiate the archival experience. This conference will provide a forum for initiating an interdisciplinary conversation about the complex – and often conflicting – mechanisms of power that lie within and beyond the nineteenth-century archive.

Travel bursaries: Thanks to the generosity of the British Association of Victorian Studies and the Royal Historical Society, we are able to help with the costs of attending for any student, recent postgraduate or unwaged delegate. Grants can only be paid on production of receipts. Applications should be addressed to rachel.g.bryant-davies@durham.ac.uk by 25th January 2019.