The Fortunoff Archive as Model of Grassroots Refugee/Survivor Archival Activism
Academics | Lawrence Hall, The Robert Ho Lecture Room, Lawrence 105
Steven Naron
Director of Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale UniversityIn 1979, a grassroots organization, the Holocaust Survivors Film Project, began videotaping Holocaust survivors and witnesses in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1981, the original collection of 183 testimonies was deposited at Yale University, and the Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies opened its doors to the public in 1982. Since then, the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has initiated, recorded, and preserved witness testimonies in North and South America, Europe, and Israel. The collection of over 4,400 testimonies comprising more than 12,000 hours is available to researchers, educators, and the general public.Because it was founded by refugees and survivors, the Archive is a fascinating early example of the use of video oral history as a form or “archival activism” by and for survivors of mass violence. Its embeddedness in the community has had a lasting influence on all aspects of the Archive’s work including its conceptualization, interview methodology, cataloguing, and how the collection should be used in teaching and research. This presentation will explore this influence by examining the history of the collection, the archive’s role in helping to shift focus to the individual witness in Holocaust historiography, and some of the ethical challenges and obligations inherent in an archive of this nature.Light finger foods provided, please bring your own water.Sponsored by The Lois and Frank Lautenberg Jewish Lecture Fund
