How to discover or re-discover histories in a territory identified as Turkey yet historically transgressing its borders? Contemporary research on the erasure of memories in the national context presents us with an enigma that there is not only an excess of multifarious memories but also there are overlapping layers of displacement. Through the long and violent history of demographic engineering primarily starting from the beginning of the 20th century the memories have been and continue to be displaced - over and over - creating what I would name as centrifugal memories. I argue that in recognizing the centrifugal dispersion of memories we need to question the state of archives and history-writing within the vortex of official history. This is an emerging and emergent question addressed not only to memory scholars and historians, but also to each and every one of us who is struggling for justice.

Mezna Qato: The Archivists of Gaza

Annihilation is a process, fluctuating in speed. It drones. Bombards. Burns. Thermobaric waves of heat. And it plunders. These will be initial notes on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, its archives, and its archivists. It is a reflection on the location of archives in the histories of Palestine and its peoples, and on the ways in which archive-making as a ground on which the very stakes of peoplehood have been fought against settler-colonial invasion. Drawing from over ten years of collaborative work with archivists in Gaza, this will be a study on what archives mean for those tasked with shaping them, and for those of us who rely on them to approach history. In thinking of these collections and their caretakers, I aim to question how and why do archives remain such a crucial modality for historical reckoning, and how might we consider such a reckoning without them.

İren Bıçakcı, Deniz Derya Dertli, Lara Çakmak: Tracing Armenian Heritage Through the Archives of the Armenian Foundations

Based on the ongoing archival work of the Hrant Dink Foundation’s Archive Team with Armenian institutions, this presentation will explore the Armenian heritage in Istanbul from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. A selection of archival materials, including photographs, letters, and records, from the collections of Şişli Karagözyan Orphanage, Galata Getronagan High School, Pangaltı Anarad Hığutyun School, and Balat Surp Hıreşdagabet Church & Horenyan School, will be analyzed to evaluate their contribution to the research on Armenian heritage. These collections will be examined in the context of community archives, focusing on the historical and contemporary roles of these institutions in Armenian communal life, and the future of Armenian institutional archives will also be discussed. 

In the aftermath of the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Antakya, it became necessary not only to restore the physical structures that housed thousands but also to preserve the memories intertwined with these spaces. The memory mapping project “Beledna,” initiated by Nehna, served as a vital intervention in understanding the interplay between memory, identity, and urban space. This project aimed to document and preserve the collective memories of Antioch's residents, highlighting that the city’s destroyed buildings were not merely physical structures but essential social spaces imbued with personal and communal significance. By systematically archiving these memories, “Beledna” seeks to reveal the profound implications of demolition, extending beyond architectural loss to encompass the erasure of shared experiences and social bonds.

Drawing on the example of Beledna, this presentation will explore the intricate relationship between people and their spatial environments, advocating for a shift in understanding reconstruction efforts. Rather than viewing reconstruction as a purely physical task, I argue for understanding it as a process of healing, where recognizing and preserving intangible connections can inform more sensitive and alternative narratives of dispossession within the city. Through this lens, “Beledna” not only documents memory but also actively engages with the politics of identity and belonging in a post-disaster context.

In my presentation, I will discuss three distinct works that center on political violence, oppression, and atrocity, referencing different time periods and geographical contexts: two installations Decent Deathwatch: Bosnia-Herzegovina (1993) and I Know People Like This III (2013), as well as the video work Beirut (2005-2007). The common thread among these three works is their use of various visual, auditory, and written sources related to political violence, recorded either publicly or privately, as their primary material. Each of these works re-registers the archive—what has been recorded—through different methods and makes it accessible to the public, thereby aiming to create a space for remembrance, reflection, and confrontation.