In May, nine students from the MA Publishing course at London College of Communication (LCC) came together to work on a social justice publishing project titled “Decolonising the Archive.” The aim of the project was to create a booklet together that focused on items from the print collection in the LCC library and further analyse them from a post-colonial lens.
Articles explored a wide range of representations from different periods; from a Christian narrative that disregards the history of indigenous people from Canada to a Financial Times article about the challenges of doing business in Africa. The project was set up by MA Publishing course leader Dr Frania Hall and sponsored by the LCC Social Purpose fund.
I took on the role of writer and copyeditor for the project, contributing two articles to the project, one of which focused on the colonial gaze presented in a travelogue from India and another about racist depictions in boys’ magazines from the 20th century.
Through a workshop organised by academic and collection specialist librarians Gavin Clarke and David Smith, I had the opportunity to explore items in the special print collection at the LCC library and apply my knowledge that I had learned through the course to them. In class, we often talk about postcolonial publishing and its implications. So, it was fulfilling to explore ways that decolonising theory can be applied in the real world.
By collaborating with my classmates, I strengthened my skills of collaborating with a team to manage and undertake every stage of the publishing process, from writing and editing, to designing, and finally printing the booklet.
Anfan Ji, the project manager for “Decolonising the Archive,” also commented on her experience, saying, “Working closely with the whole team helped me understand how to manage planning and adapt to changing circumstances as a project manager. I learned more about what decolonising means and saw the value of collaborative work. It also gave me production experience that will support my future career.