A series of events is being held across September, October and November to engage with and reframe acess to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) historic medical photograph collection. In 2024, the Archives Service was awarded funding from The National Archive’s Research and Innovation fund to reframe access to the historic medical photograph collection. Continuing efforts to address the colonial legacies of our collections the LSHTM has partnered with Decolonising the Archive (DTA) to run a series of events in the Autumn.
For too long archives have been shaped by a colonial gaze- misrepresenting lives, cultures, and histories. You are invited - especially from communities featured in the collections - to help inform the record and co-create better futures for the shared heritage.
LSHTM was established in 1899 with funding from the Colonial Office with the object to facilitate British colonialism and white settlement through research and the treatment of tropical disease. The LSTHM Archives reflects this problematic past, with holdings including photographs of people from colonised nations taken by School staff and other donors. For many of these images there is little provenance, but it is assumed that these photos were taken without consent or an understanding of why they were being taken and how they might be used.
Owing to their sensitive nature, these photos have remained hidden as we are uncomfortable with researchers accessing them but through our decolonising work, we understand the importance of making these accessible in an appropriate way. This project has been designed to reframe access to LSTHM’s colonial medical photo collections, ensuring that we preserve and promote the collections in a respectful and equitable manner.
Working with our expert Consultants at Decolonising the Archive (DTA) we hope these conversations will help us to reconcile institutional archival practices with Community Archiving initiatives.
Decolonising the Archive (DTA) was founded in 2011 and focusses on the definition, safeguarding and activation of our collective archives, they have worked with, supported and trained hundreds of people across the UK and internationally.
Reframing Access to Colonial Medical Photograph Collection, with Decolonising the Archive (DTA)
September-November, online and in person
See more and sign up here: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/library-archive-open-research-services/archives/decolonising-archives/reframing-access-historic-medical-photograph-collection
