Living and Dying on Record: 'Atrocity Archives' as Sacred Remains

Please join us for a research conversation with historian Dr. Rebecca Abby Whiting. This conversation will focus on the ethical implications of engaging with and researching records and archives that document atrocities. Thinking about the affective power of archives, we will look at the power dynamics inherent in activating them, particularly those that record state-sponsored violence. With records displaced from Iraq as case studies, we will consider the ways in which historical subjects are often not granted a voice in how their stories are told. 

Professor Rebecca Abby Whiting is a historian of cultural heritage in conflict, with a focus on the modern Middle East, currently based in Lebanon. Using archival research and oral history, she explores the ways in which the meanings and values of cultural heritage objects are navigated, negotiated and redefined according to shifting socio-political contexts, particularly in times of war, as well as the politics of both destruction and preservation. 

This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed on zoom. Registration is required. 

Please register to attend this lecture in person.

Please register to view this lecture on zoom.

This event is cosponsored by the Center for Research and Creative Activities, the History Department, and the Public History Speakers' Series. It is made possible by the generous support from the Cummings Foundation.