On Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 11am, Yasmine Tarek Ismail and Mina Ibrahim will present their research project: Shubra’s Archive: Community Archive as Vernacular Academic Critique
Abstract
Shubra’s Archive (Sard for History and Social Research) is an independent archival community located in Cairo’s northern neighborhood of Shubra. Its creation in May 2021 began a mission to construct archival collections focusing on popular neighborhoods in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. Our comprehensive approach incorporates oral history interviews, written documents, and audio-visual archives, with an emphasis on capturing personal and family stories and trajectories. The core objective of Shubra’s Archive is to bridge critical scholarship with local settings, as explored in academic journal articles and books. By doing so, the archive seeks to cultivate sustainable and accessible dialogues, exhibitions, and publications tailored for and by the local residents.
This presentation will provide an overview of Shubra’s Archive’s journey over the past three years, shedding light on both completed and ongoing projects, along with an exploration of the recent Participatory Archival Charter (PAC) initiative. The argument put forth is that grassroots initiatives, exemplified by Shubra’s Archive, play a pivotal role in constructing what is referred to as a vernacular academic critique. This perspective aims to actively engage with the representation of academic circles in the context of people’s lives, creating a mutually enriching relationship. Furthermore, the presentation will emphasize the necessity of initiatives like PAC in countering the inaccessible and capitalist characteristics prevalent in the current archival landscape.
About the speakers:
– Yasmin Tarek Ismail serves as a researcher, archivist, and program officer at Shubra’s Archive. Additionally, she is pursuing her graduate studies at the American University in Cairo, majoring in sociology and anthropology.
– Mina Ibrahim is the founding director of Shubra’s Archive. He holds a post-doctoral research position at the University of Marburg, Germany.
