(Registration Required) Radical Repositories: Archiving Socialist Histories

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua (I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past)

Why archive? Despite a seemingly limitless ability to store data and records today, the historical record is not safe in the age of algorithms and AI-generated slop. The public institutions that once served as storehouses of memory are being gradually dismantled—and, in any case, they never fully held the memory of the cause of labour. This workshop explores history, memory, and why archives matter for socialism and socialists. We will reflect on the archival legacy of Tyler West, whose writing and Radical Aotearoa Digital Archive (RADAR) project set a course to not only preserve but critically engage with archives of the radical left in Aotearoa. The workshop will provide practical tools and aims to build capacity in the Federation to establish our own radical repositories, with a view to carrying forward Tyler’s legacy.

Sam Hope is a father and public servant based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. He has a background in developing digital projects for research and cultural heritage purposes, and more recently worked as a trade union official. He currently sits on the executive committee of the Canterbury Socialist Society and maintains the Federation’s website (though he’d rather be maintaining motorcycles).

This panel will take place on Saturday 14 November, 2.30pm, at Age Concern Otago. As this panel is part of the main proceedings of the conference, to attend you must register here:

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScZvWQY716PAy…/viewform.