Paper short abstract:

This paper provides insight into an on-going PhD project that engages young Greenlandic people in collaboratively reflecting on the idea of future memories by experimenting with alternative forms of knowledge production found in design and visual anthropology.

Paper long abstract:

The concept of memory does not always need to be thought backward but as Macdonald (2013) points out, it has the potential to be "projectable into the future". On a similar note, Harrison (2012) identifies one of the main objectives of critical heritage studies to focus less on our involvement with the past and instead reflect on our relationship with the present and future. The paper touches upon these recent debates and provides insight into an on-going PhD project that engages young Greenlandic people in collaboratively reflecting on the idea of future memories.

Similar to Markham (2017) who argues that "by placing future into the equation of inquiry, we orient ourselves differently", the potential of future imagination is essential to the methodological approach of the study. By experimenting with alternative forms of knowledge production found in design and visual anthropology, the project playfully explores one leading question: "What do you want to be remembered by?". The participants are asked to contribute key artefacts from their everyday life that they consider worth preserving for future generations. In this context, the present functions as an entry point to better understand young Greenlander's relationship with the past and imaginations of the future.

In addition, the study aims at communicating the process and results of the project in the tradition of public anthropology. The online platform www.futurememorycollection.org offers hereby the possibility to engage with the research project in parallel while it is being conducted, providing access to professional and layperson alike.