Gabriel Hoosain Khan, GALA, Johannesburg, South Africa: Archival Expansions

"The archive itself becomes a space which actively moves away from the institution, and instead structures itself as an informal and engaging space open to the community and community requests."

Gabriel Hoosain Khan is archivist at the Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA). In this paper, he discusses personal narratives as a crucial part of LGBTI archives. By focusing on three GALA projects as case studies, the Queer Indian project, the Arts for Advocacy project and the GALA youth forum, he reveals that "these personal narratives can be utilized, interpreted and reconfigured as a tool for advocacy and building group identity." 

What do you think about the possibility of using personal narratives for human rights advocacy and community building? Do you know of other insightful examples? To read the full paper, please click on the following link: Gabriel Hoosain Khan's full paper Discuss, comment, share and enjoy!