XII CUJAH Conference Abstract Callout

The Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History is looking for papers for its 12th Annual Concordia University Art History Conference. 

Queering Archives: What we keep is what we remember and what we remember is what we keep. 

For people who live outside the dominant culture their historical archives often have been outside of their control and thus what they remember and know about themselves has been dictated to them. Queering archives seeks to bring together queer and BIPOC artists to discuss how they are cultivating or engaging with archives to empower and inform their communities and identities. In the respect to our conference, we are using queer in its earlier meaning of “different.” We apply queering as a term to spoil or ruin an idea or event –to go against the dominant culture.  Using this definition, queering it is meant as a method for those deemed “outsiders” to find solidarity with one another and build joy and community through sharing histories and looking to futures. Here, queer is an inclusive and open ended term to be defined by each individual with respect to their identities.  

Through centering identity and community queering archives hopes to build a collective space where queer bipoc can collaborate and discuss how the past will inform our hopes for the future.

Themes that can be explored:

• Family Archives/memory/relationships
• Deconstruction of barriers
• Intersectional/Common histories 
• Archives influenced by diasporic identity 
• Personal archiving practices 
• Queer futures informed by pasts
• Objects’ relation to emotional landscapes
• Relationships between Memory and Archive 
• Relationships between Space and Archive 
• (intersectional) Queer intervention into traditional/historic archiving/archives
• Archiving as a form of care
• Nostalgia (True/False)

To apply, please submit the following by December 16th in a single PDF to conference.cujah@gmail.com:

• 350 word abstract & proposal title
• Student ID, University, and Program of Study
• Please do not put your name on the PDF as the review process is anonymous