Digital Archives as Subaltern Counter-Histories

Abstract

This piece analyzes the possibilities raised by leveraging digital archives as tools for community advocacy in marginalized communities. Drawing upon a case study of “Favela Tem Memoria”, an archive created by the Viva Rio NGO, I will first analyze how the project offers a digital space for collecting and sharing a “counter-history” of these communities that have been historically marginalized in economic, social, and political terms. Then, I will discuss how the collapse of the archive in 2017 reflects a larger problem within NGO-launched and maintained projects regarding the tension between meeting donor needs and community needs.

Keywords:

• community media
• digital and online cultures
• communication for development and social change
• the political economy of non-governmental organizations

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stuart Davis

Stuart Davis, Department of Communication Studies, Baruch College, City University of New York, USA. Email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/academics/communication/faculty.htm