Paper Short Abstract:

By focusing on the case of “ViteArchives”, a collaborative archival project in the neighbourhood of Vite (Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain), we explore the limits of archiving as a practice of political activism and social justice.

Paper Abstract:

Vite is a neighbourhood located in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It was considered a marginalized area in the latter part of the twentieth century. Its evolution, from a rural area to a public housing development in the 1970s, has been influenced by grassroots struggles and a network of caring relationships spanning various generations and social groups, fostering a collective sense of neighbourhood pride. A recent collaborative project, in the form of a community archive, between the “Coordinadora del Barrio de Vite” (that includes different neighbourhood stakeholders) and INCIPIT-CSIC (a research institution), revisited the histories and memories associated to those struggles. This paper raises some questions about the limits of archiving as a practice of political activism and social justice in urban areas marked by a growing fragmentation of their community infrastructures. Drawing from our involvement in the activation of 'ViteArquiva', we take a critical stance on the power dynamics involved in participatory research projects. This reflection aims to address the methodological challenges posed by such projects.