The Experience of the Afro Memory Project in the Preservation of Intellectual Heritage and Anti-Racist Movements in Brazil

The workshop with Mário Medeiros (Universidade Estadual de Campinas and Researcher Cebrap, Brazil / Principal Investigator Mecila / Mecila Germany Research Visitor) will discuss the anti-racist project developed by the Arquivo Edgard Leuenroth (AEL — Edgard Leuenroth Archive) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, which involves assembling collections related to Black social organizations in the state of São Paulo for preservation and dissemination. The relationship between archives and anti-racism will be analyzed along two dimensions: one that considers the very act of incorporating materials into the archival apparatus, and another that involves the search for a new participatory paradigm for archival practices and decision-making. These collections allow us to reimagine the role of Black organizations in the history and future of Brazil. Thus, preserving and ensuring access to them is part of a broader initiative to redefine the role of archival institutions in policies aimed at dismantling racism.

Introduction: Peter Birle (Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Principal Investigator Mecila)
Discussant: Sandra Jaramillo Restrepo (Centro de Documentación e Investigación de la Cultura de Izquierdas, Argentina / Guest Researcher IAI 2024)