Archives of Dissent, Altered: Intersectional Critique in Music Centred Communities and Movements under Late State-Socialism

• In Event: The Unpublished History of Sociology

Abstract

During the period of state socialism in the so called European East, we find little to almost no published, direct, verbatim articulation that can be unequivocally assigned to the discourse of feminist, LGBTQ*, anti racist, or Black liberation movements. My paper addresses culture and the articulation of what I call intersectional critique within music centred movements and communities—alternative cultures of dissent in the fields of punk, new wave, reggae, the avant garde, and experimental music in Poland under late state socialism (1970s–1980s)—which are frequently located in the “third circuit” (beyond the state and the anti communist opposition). The examination of archives for sociological research enables corrections to public discourses, narratives, and imaginaries. When researching marginalised communities, alternative practices, and epistemologies, it is crucial to consider, in particular, private archives and preserved artefacts—including, for example, diaries, notes, sketches, images, and sound recordings. They retain ideas, perceptions, emotions, and experiences for which there was no place in the dominant society and which were suppressed by the state. These materials are often protected and cherished in order to be shared with the inner circle and trusted members, while often remaining concealed—shielded from public exposure and potential harm. Archives, together with the artefacts and materials preserved within them in these predominantly private collections, are not simply records of private matters nor merely repositories; their collections and preserved artefacts function as integral components of communities and movements. Archives—private and public, including state archives—tell us about social positionings, relations, connections, and developments, and their objects serve as boundary objects between past and present.

Author

• Jennifer Ramme, University of Graz