Скачать или смотреть NEIAV Archive NBBGC Nodal Centre Lecture Series. | Dr. William Westerman.

The Northeast India Audio-Visual Archive Nodal Centre of Nar Bahadur Bhandari Government College organised a third lecture as part of their lecture series on May 10th, 2024 at the College Seminar Hall. Dr. Henry William Westerman, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Works of the New Jersey City University, and currently the Fulbright-Nehru Fellow at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong in the Department of Cultural and Creative Studies was the Resource Person for the day and was Dr. Westerman spoke extensively on , “Rethinking Museums and their Communities: Can Indigenous Museums Move from Artefact Collections to Interactive Educational and Cultural Centers?”

The lecture was attended by Dr. D. Purohit, Principal, NBBGC, Mrs. Doma Lhamu Zimba, ADM, NBBGC, along with the HODs and faculty members of various departments of the college and also guests from the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.

Dr. Purohit after felicitatingthe resource person addressed the audience highlighting the novelty and need of such a lecture. After the Principal’s address, Dr. Reep Pandi Lepcha Nodal Centre Coordinator of NEIAV, acquainted the participants with the Northeast India AV Archive and the core values and objectives behind the endeavour. Furthermore, she also emphasised the increasing scope of archival studies and talked about projects the nodal centre has undertaken.

Dr. Westerman began his lecture by addressing the prevailing idea of museums as artefact collections which are basically non-interactive, distant spaces where “artefacts go to die”. Emphasising a globally acknowledged necessity for more progressive spaces in place of traditional museums and archives, the resource person spoke onhow communities can be actively involved in museums and archival practices to improve preservation of intangible heritage of their respective communities. Dr. Westerman provided an illustrative case of his ongoing project, which involves gathering oral narratives from the residents of Jersey City. Given the city’s rapid gentrification, he believes that this resource could empower social activists with the knowledge needed to address the prevailing situations and initiate meaningful action.

Dr. Westerman then shared his experiences regarding various projects he had supervised and observed how artefacts in traditional museums often lack interpretation or educational descriptions, leading to their “decontextualization'' from their communities. According to him the significance that the artefact served within its community is not a part of its exhibition and thus is in some way lost. Dr. Westerman relayed how community historians and researchers play a crucial role in providing the context for artefacts, enabling visitors to grasp their significance and purpose; offering a holistic knowledge experience beyond mere visual observations. Dr. Westerman further elaborated on the potential of technology, whereby institutions can upload information in the form of texts, recordings of local oral narratives, and excerpts from history books to enhance the understanding of these artefacts.

The lecture was followed by an interactive session where several pertinent questions were posed to the resource person by faculty and students, leading to further enrichment of the discussions at hand. The programme successfully concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by NEIAV NBBGC Nodal Centre team member Ongchoo Thingtimbu.