How did archivists partner with activists to document and preserve the history of AIDS activism? How are archivists and community partners activating AIDS archives to reveal AIDS’s continued impact on marginalized communities? What lessons can archivists take from this moment of social and community memory-building as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this episode, co-hosts Anna Trammell and Chris Burns speak with Marika Cifor about her recent book, Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS (University of Minnesota Press, 2022). Cifor is an assistant professor at the University of Washington. In this episode, Cifor discusses her inspiration for exploring AIDS archives, how the concept of vital nostalgia can inform archival theory and practice, and lessons for memory workers and activists interested in documenting other social justice movements. 

Read the transcript.

Episode Extras

Visit Marika Cifor’s about page and faculty website and learn more about the projects and collections mentioned in the episode:

• Visual AIDS, The Artist+ Registry and Archive Project

• Visual AIDS, Artists+ Registry

• Lesbian Herstory Archives

• New York Public Library, Gay and Lesbian Collections and AIDS/HIV Collections

• New York Public Library Digital Collections, ACT UP New York Records

• NYU Special Collections, Downtown Collection

Listen to additional conversations about the book via the University of Minnesota Press podcast.