We’re delighted to share a number of outputs from the Antipode Foundation-funded project “Geographies of Erasure and Silencing”. Geographer James Esson led a project that received a “Right to the Discipline” grant in 2023. As James explains, “One of the project’s main objectives was to explain and illustrate the erasure and silencing of Black thought and scholarship for a diverse audience through a range of mediums. The outcomes in response to this objective are presented below in the Digital Reclamation Archive. These creative works are part of a broader project exploring the erasure and silencing of Black scholarship in academia.”
“Alongside the artistic outputs, the project draws on insights from interviews with academics, as well as focus groups with journal editors and publishers. Together, these components aim to raise awareness, advance understanding, and contribute to the development of more ethical and inclusive academic practices.”
The Digital Reclamation Archive presents work by four brilliant artists, Tinaye Makuyana, Buksi Osundina, Esther-Rennae Walker, and Amina Pagliari.
“Lifeline” by Tinaye Makuyana explores the diasporic experience and the tension of navigating spaces that both obscure and amplify identity. Three birds symbolise resilience, charting a path forward. the curved lines mirror cultural duality: a steady lifeline, guidance, and the struggle for belonging
“Erasure & Silence” by Buksi Osundina aims to highlight the inequality and oppression faced by people of colour in all walks of life through portraiture. These ongoing disparities show that more change is needed so we do not continue to fade into the background any further.
Inspired by the work of the Brixton Black Women’s Group, “Lessons From My Mother’s Palms” by Esther-Rennae Walker explores how a young girl’s grief sparks a journey to uncover the buried histories of the women who came before her. The lack of representation within the UK’s educational curriculum, particularly within history, English and the arts, is what inspired Esther-Rennae to create this art work for the Geographies of Erasure and Silencing project.
Finally, “I am the context” by Amina Pagliari explores censorship, political expression, and institutional suppression, reflecting her experience at Loughborough University. The red veil symbolises resistance against erasure, with themes of Palestinian rights and institutional bias.
Many thanks to James, Tinaye, Buksi, Esther-Rennae, and Amina from everyone here at the Antipode Foundation and Antipode the journal for sharing these powerful works.