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Archives & Things

Archives & Things

By: Melissa J. Nelson
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Archives & Things is a podcast dedicated to exploring archival practice in the Canadian landscape. It brings to the forefront the experiences of Black people who create, work with, and care for archival materials. Your host, Melissa J. Nelson, is an archivist and educator based in Toronto, Ontario. In these episodes, Melissa will be in conversation with members of her network who come from diverse backgrounds. What connects them is their interest in Black memory, archives, and history. Learn more about Melissa at https://melissajnelson.com/.Melissa J. Nelson Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 30 | Audra A. Diptee, Carleton University
    Jul 17 2025

    Summary:

    In this episode, I welcome Audra A. Diptee, an Associate Professor of History at Carleton University. Audra joined us to speak about her research on the weaponization of colonial archives to rewrite history.

    Episode Resources:

    Audra A. Diptee. https://www.audradiptee.com/


    Audra A. Diptée. (Apr 27, 2023). The records the British Empire didn't want you to see. YouTube. https://youtu.be/oPGVGckn7kQ?si=CnHTyoE6T6WH6DOG


    Alex Williams. (2016). The Pass System. http://thepasssystem.ca/


    Michel-Rolph Trouillot. (1995). Silencing the Past. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/246609/silencing-the-past-by-michel-rolph-trouillot/


    Donald J. Trump. Executive Order. Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. (March 27, 2025). https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/


    Stay Connected:

    If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

    To learn more about my work, visit my blog at ⁠https://melissajnelson.com⁠. You can connect with me on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ or Instagram⁠ contact me at melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com.


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    38 mins
  • 29 | Gabrielle Miller, Smithsonian’s NMAAHC
    May 2 2025

    Summary:

    In this episode, I welcome Gabrielle Miller, a Program Specialist and Archaeologist for the Center for the Study of Global Slavery at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Gabrielle joined us to speak about the Slave Wrecks Project, which searches for slave ships and tends to watery graveyards.

    Episode Resources:

    Omnia Saed (August 26, 2024). For Black Archaeologists, the Atlantic Ocean is an Ancestral Graveyard. https://atmos.earth/for-black-archaeologists-the-atlantic-ocean-is-an-ancestral-graveyard/

    Slave Wrecks Project. Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. http://slavewrecksproject.org

    In Slavery’s Wake. Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.https://www.searchablemuseum.com/in-slaverys-wake/

    Christina Sharpe. (November 2016). In the Wake: On Blackness and Being. https://www.dukeupress.edu/in-the-wake

    Stay Connected:

    If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

    To learn more about my work, visit my blog at ⁠https://melissajnelson.com⁠. You can connect with me on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram⁠ or contact me at melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com.

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • 28 | Camille Turner, Afronautic Research Lab
    Mar 20 2025

    Summary:

    Welcome to the opener for season 4! In this episode, I welcome Camille Turner, an artist and scholar whose work combines Afrofuturism and historical research. Camille joins us to speak about her Afronautic Research Lab, a performance and social practice project that approaches colonial archives from the point of view of a liberated future.

    Episode Resources:

    Camille Turner. “Afronautic Memory and the Archive.” 2022. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13534645.2022.2073691


    Camille Turner. https://www.camilleturner.com/


    Black Memory Collective. [Instagram]. “What if archivists were time travellers walking backwards into the future?” https://www.instagram.com/p/C9fGMjwARaF/


    Stay Connected:

    If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

    To learn more about my work, visit my blog at ⁠https://melissajnelson.com⁠. You can connect with me on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ or contact me at melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com.

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.