This discussion focuses on the use of underrepresented archives to reconfigure how we understand the past in the aftermath of pivotal change and imagine a more inclusive future. The US Latino Digital Humanities program (USLDH) at the University of Houston draws from the rich archival collections at Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage (Recovery) in order to make visible the legacy of Latinxs in the United States.

We will discuss multiethnic archives, the attention to ethical choices when dealing with underrepresented materials, and the critical interventions that can take place at pedagogical and research levels to impact future change. The use of archival materials in research has the potential to create a more inclusive understanding of public history. Specifically, we will discuss how applying digital tools to underrepresented archives can amplify the complex voices of multiethnic histories. Furthermore, the panelists will describe a Latina feminist praxis that requires community work to preserve and raise awareness of history.

We will invite the audience to interrogate the ways they incorporate primary materials in their research and classrooms, and the ways these activities should/can engage the communities that are the subject of their research.