Deconstructing the Colonial Archive
Episode Description
In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Eddie Bruce-Jones about deconstructing the colonial archive. Eddie walks us through his process of researching indentureship through various archival methods. He discusses the differences between doing archival research in online and physical spaces; how to understand omissions, human connections, and depoliticised causes of death; and how to do justice to the persons encountered on the page.
Readings Recommended by Eddie Bruce-Jones
- Shepherd, V. (2002) Maharani’s misery: Narratives of a passage from India to the Caribbean. Kingston: University of the West Indies Press.
- Hartman, S. (2008) ‘Venus in two acts’, Small Axe, 12(2).
- Bahadur, G. (2013) Coolie woman: The odyssey of indenture. London: Hurst.
About The Speaker
Eddie Bruce-Jones is Professor of Law and Head of School of Law, Gender and Media at SOAS, University of London. He is the author of Race in the Shadow of Law: State Violence in Contemporary Europe (2016) and has published in the areas of racial equality, migration law, and law and the humanities. He was Principal Investigator on an AHRC-funded research grant titled Towards an Integrated Colonial Archive: Humanities, Law and British Indentureship.
Follow Eddie Bruce-Jones on Twitter or visit his website.