On July 4th '22, ASftS took part in the Oceans as Archives Conference at the University of Amsterdam.

In the first half of 2022 Raf Custers and Greet Brauwers organised several exchanges with groups of people with a strong attachment to the sea. These are artists (at arts center FramerFramed, Amsterdam), Belgian fishermen, coastal residents, people who have fled by sea and environmental activists. At the Oceans as Archives Conference, we will present an intermediary summary in the shape of a gesticulated lecture.

The Oceans as Archives conference contributes to the growing field of critical ocean studies, while intervening in the erasures and occlusions performed in scripting the field as a new terrain of inquiry. This three-day interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars, poets, artists, and activists to share and discuss work that centers the ocean as a source of knowledge and a method for thinking, writing, and critical praxis. The conference provides a space for sharing ideas and theories anchored in the longstanding critical traditions of Black (diaspora) studies, Pacific Islander studies, Critical Indigenous studies, Caribbean philosophy, postcolonial theory, and decolonial and anticolonial critique.

This year’s conference will include panel discussions and conference papers, film screenings, poetry readings, performances, visual art, and workshops. It will take place from 4 - 6 July 2022 at the University of Amsterdam.

oceansasarchives.org