Skip to main content

LGBTQ Archiving in Johannesburg and London: a queer conversation

When: —
Venue: Birkbeck 28 Russell Square

Venue: Dreyfus Room (room 202), 28 Russell Square (accessible via number 26), Birkbeck, University of London, WC1B 5DQ

Join us for a conversation between Stefan Dickers of the Bishopsgate LGBTQIA+ Archives (London) and Linda Chernis of the GALA Queer Archive (Johannesburg) – moderated by Matt Cook (Birkbeck).  Stefan and Linda will discuss and compare various themes and challenges in their respective archives, including: archiving in the digital age; oral histories and storytelling; how collections are shared with the public; and archiving the present with intersecting issues such as migration, race and religion in queer communities.  The archivists will also discuss gaps in their collections, missing voices and future hopes and plans for the archival repositories they represent.

Book your place here (QueerArchivesTalk.eventbrite.co.uk)

Stefan Dickers: Stef is the Special Collections and Archives Manager at Bishopsgate Institute and has been responsible for the development of the Institute's collections on the history of London, protest and activism, and LGBTQ+ Britain. He qualified as an archivist in 2001 and started at Bishopsgate in 2005.  Previous to this, Stef worked in the archives of the London School of Economics and Senate House Library. He will talk at extraordinary length about the collections whenever asked and regularly entertains groups of students, groups and family/local history societies on the wonders they can find in the Special Collections and Archives at the Institute.

Linda Chernis (she/her): Linda Chernis is a South African archivist and heritage practitioner who has worked in museums and archives for the past 15 years.  She has a passion for bringing history, heritage, and the arts to the public. Linda became the archivist at the GALA Queer Archives in Johannesburg, South Africa in January 2015.  She recently completed her Masters in History at the University of the Witwatersrand.

This event is part of Migration: a public history festival, a series of lectures, exhibitions, workshops and walks around London, supported by the Raphael Samuel History Centre.

Contact name: