Family Archives & their Afterlives Conference: a pupil’s perspective

By Lulu Frisson (student on a work experience placement in History at University of Birmingham)

I had the amazing opportunity to do some work experience and attend the ‘Family Archives and their Afterlives, 1400-present’ History conference at Birmingham University last week, helping out at the registration desk with UoB students and listening to a broad range of panels. It was a wonderfully new and exciting experience as, having just completed my GCSEs, most of my History education so far has been entirely from textbooks and worksheets. The knowledge I gained from all of the speakers and the archive material they discussed was invaluable and, in the days since, I’ve reflected on the rich and diverse range of talks I was able to attend.  
 

My own family history  

Perhaps the biggest thing I took away from the conference was a deeper interest and appreciation of my own family history and its preservation. Listening to panels as someone with absolutely no academic knowledge of archives meant I reflected far more personally on the content of the talks. Laura Beard’s presentation on her own family’s Scottish samplers was poignant and affecting, as was Dr Laura King’s reflection of her family’s ‘stuff, histories and stories’ and the wonderful ‘Reckoning with Romanticisation’ panel which looked at a diverse range of personal family histories. Dr King acknowledged the difficulties around objectivity and the emotional impact of using her own family’s archive in her academic research, but in all panels I attended I realised the fruitful ways each speaker’s own history impacted their work and I was moved, too, by the passion each had for their family’s stories. As I concluded my work experience week, I was struck by how interested I had become in my own family’s history. I now have a new appreciation for my grandfather’s painstakingly neat photo albums, my aunt’s insistence to keep anything and everything and my grandmother’s late night oral history lessons – all of which have allowed me to learn not only about world history and my family’s place in it, but also have strengthened my sense of identity and family relationships. It was not until attending this conference, though, that I realised how important it is for all of us not just to listen to our family’s stories, but also to research, retell and celebrate them.  
 

[Dr Tamar Rozett, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, opens the panel on ‘Diaspora’]

Technology and archives 

Something I found striking and particularly relevant to my generation was a discussion in the ‘Objects and Emotions’ panel about the changing nature of archives and the role of technology in preserving – or, perhaps, destroying – the idea of a family archive. One question posed to the panel asked their views on the digitalisation of archive material, and their unanimous response – that close material work with physical sources is an irreplaceably important aspect of their research – made me reflect on the evolving role of technology and social media on family archives. Increasingly, for example, my parents will not frame our family portraits but instead keep them digitally, sharing them freely on social media. Increasingly, too, my cousins abroad will simply text or call me to stay in contact; the idea of sending a letter or card to a family member seems to be almost foreign to my generation. What this means for the future of the family archive and its study became a fascinating concluding discussion to two hours of equally fascinating talks which touched on the emotional impact of keeping and studying family archives. ‘How can we continue to preserve ‘us’?’ I jotted down as the panel came to an end.  
 

Using archives in secondary schools, entertainment and beyond 

Antonia Parker Smith and Caroline Pardoe’s talk on their musical theatre show, ‘Spinster of this Parish’, which covers West Midlands local history through the lens of one family, was both entertaining and inspiring. Having keenly studied Lin Manuel Miranda’s ‘Hamilton’ show at school, it was fascinating to hear of the complexities behind adapting history for entertainment and the ways in which bringing history ‘to life’ on stage can be rewarding for writers and audiences alike. Furthermore, Antonia’s mention of how the young actors of ‘Spinster of the Parish’ developed an interest in their own histories through their performance brought interesting questions to mind about the use of both family and national archives in education. Reflecting on my History education so far after the conference, I realised that most students won’t have an understanding of what an archive is, let alone work with actual letters and photographs within one – save for those printed in an exam textbook – until University. In Kristy Li Puma’s talk on the history of queer and trans familia in Washington DC she mentioned how she used material from the city’s archives in high school clubs and societies to develop students’ sense of belonging, and it occurred to me that analysing and discussing archive material in such clubs – particularly material from family archives, which provide a rich and personal look into all periods of history – would be invaluable in enhancing our understanding of both past and present. Already I am thinking of ways to incorporate material from Birmingham’s own archives into a school club for themed months like Pride Month next year, and I’m very excited to pass on my new interest and appreciation of family archives to my friends who love History too.  
 

Attending the ‘Family Archives and their Afterlives, 1400-present’ conference was an invaluable experience and one which was educational in so many ways. The speakers inspired me in my own History studies as I move into Sixth Form but, more than that, their talks gave me a deep appreciation for my own family’s archive and a space for reflection on my personal history. I’m very grateful to Dr Imogen Peck for organising the conference and letting me do a work placement with her, and to all of the UoB students and attendees who were so kind to me over the two days – it was a memorable and really enjoyable experience.