Overview
In 2024, the Archives Service was awarded funding from The National Archive’s Research and Innovation fund to reframe access to our historic medical photograph collection.
Continuing our efforts to address the colonial legacies of our collections we have partnered with Decolonising the Archive (DTA) to run a series of events in the Autumn.
For too long archives have been shaped by a colonial gaze- misrepresenting lives, cultures, and histories. We invite you- especially from communities featured in our collections- to help us inform the record and co-create better futures for our shared heritage.
Vision statement
Our vision is to create a transformative, community-centred approach to engaging with colonial medical photography that places the knowledge, experiences, cultures, perspectives, and humanity of the people represented in these archives at the heart of archival interpretation, access, and stewardship. We value the contributions of descendant communities, communities represented within the collections, and those who share similar historical experiences, recognising them not as subjects of the archive but as essential knowledge holders, partners, and contributors to its future understanding.
Our vision is not simply to improve access to archives, but to foster a model of archival and heritage practice that acknowledges historical injustices, respects cultural knowledge systems, and supports healing where possible. By having a community archive practice organisation leading the project (Decolonising the Archive) we envision a more balanced approach and lens to the findings. We seek to re-establish an ethical lens through which colonial medical photography can be understood, challenging historical approaches that often prioritised documentation over dignity, observation over consent, and data collection over human experience.
Through this work, we aim to bring humanity back into the conversation surrounding medical photography by encouraging critical reflection on both how such images were created and why they were created. We believe that ethical engagement requires consideration not only of the photographic record itself, but also of the power structures, intentions, and consequences that shaped its production and continued preservation.
By creating opportunities for communities to contribute their knowledge, challenge historical narratives, and inform decisions about interpretation and access, we seek to establish a framework in which communities can become active partners in correcting, contextualising, and reclaiming histories too often recorded about them rather than with them. In doing so, we hope to contribute to a more equitable, accountable, and culturally responsive approach to archival practice—one that places dignity, care, consent, and human connection at its centre.
Background
LSHTM was established in 1899 with funding from the Colonial Office with the object to facilitate British colonialism and white settlement through research and the treatment of tropical disease.
The LSTHM Archives reflects this problematic past, with holdings including photographs of people from colonised nations taken by School staff and other donors. For many of these images there is little provenance, but it is assumed that these photos were taken without consent or an understanding of why they were being taken and how they might be used.
Owing to their sensitive nature, these photos have remained hidden as we are uncomfortable with researchers accessing them but through our decolonising work, we understand the importance of making these accessible in an appropriate way.
This project has been designed to reframe access to LSTHM’s colonial medical photo collections, ensuring that we preserve and promote the collections in a respectful and equitable manner.
Working with our expert Consultants at Decolonising the Archive (DTA) we hope these conversations will help us to reconcile institutional archival practices with Community Archiving initiatives.
Decolonising the Archive (DTA) was founded in 2011 and focusses on the definition, safeguarding and activation of our collective archives, they have worked with, supported and trained hundreds of people across the UK and internationally.
Structure
September 24th, 2026, 2-3:30pm – Online (partially recorded): This webinar session will introduce the context of some of the medical colonial photography within our collection and the ongoing ethical discussion around them. Access the webinar.
October 20th, 2026, 6.30-8.30pm - in person, Brixton House London OR November 3rd, 2026, 2-4pm – in person, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London: Placing participants at the centre, our two in-person workshops will allow participants to view and respond to the photographs, reflecting on whether, how and why they ought to be preserved and accessed. (These workshops will follow the same format so participants only need to attend one). See tickets for these events.
November 17th, 2026, 2-3pm – Online: The final webinar will include a discussion of responses and help inform processes going forward and explore what methods ought to be used to continue to confront historic violence in the archives.
Note: The workshops will feature material from Sri Lanka, Pre-partition India (region uncertain) and Cameroon but the discussions are designed to address material featuring all colonised regions.
Speakers
- Dr Damian Cohall
Dr Damian Cohall is the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. He has formerly held the posts of the Head of Department-Preclinical and Health Sciences, Deputy Dean - Preclinical Sciences. He is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology with research interests in Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy. He is the author of Medicinal Plants of Barbados, text book chapters and journal articles in areas of his research interest. In October 2022, his work was featured in Nature - Where I work. He is member of the editorial boards of Frontiers in Pharmacology and the West Indian Medical Journal. He continues to educate and sensitise the society about the rich legacy of traditional herbal practices in the Anglophone Caribbean.
- Dr Etienne Joseph
Dr Etienne Joseph is the co-founder of DTA (Decolonising the Archive), an organisation exploring Pan-African archival methodologies, and head of archiving at Hackney Archives. Grounded in grassroots community, his work explores the idea of the ‘living archive’ and its importance within African Heritage memory work. He is an archivist, researcher, educator and practitioner with a passion for the renewal and reinvention of African-centred approaches to the archive. He has worked with a diverse range of organisations ranging from youth collectives researching and monitoring Police violence in London, to independent Libraries and Archives based on the African continent. His current projects include 'Correcting Our Collecting' a short course exploring reparative archiving (in collaboration with the University of the West Indies), an ongoing project to repatriate archives relating to the decolonisation of Botswana, and work on several collections of personal papers relating to African heritage experiences in the UK.
- Connie Bell
Connie Bell is a Memory Worker, Cultural Producer, and Co-Founder / Director of Decolonising the Archive (DTA) and the University of Repair. Her work explores decolonial methodologies, safeguarding fugitive archives and memory justice as technology within archives. She leads the Museum Restitution Course, addressing the ethics of displaying ancestral human remains in museums and the commitment of care for descendant communities. Connie produces the podcast Duppy Conquerors, which examines the legacy and resistance of the Jamaican Maroons. Her practice reimagines and activates archives as living spaces for repair, dialogue, and community justice.
- Victoria Cranna
Victoria Cranna is the Archivist & Records Manager at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She established the LSHTM Archives Service in 2002 and is responsible for managing, preserving and making accessible the historical records of the School and operating the records management service. Since 2020, the Archive Service has been working in accordance with Decolonising Principles which cover five areas: Archive Practice, Cataloguing Practice, Dissemination, Education and Inclusivity. Victoria is also a tutor on the Level 7 Archivist and Records Management apprenticeship scheme, she is responsible for teaching eight apprentice in the London cohort. The aim of the scheme is to enable a wider range of people to start a career in archives through reducing the financial and academic barriers to becoming an archivist. Her contributions to the Archives profession include AIM25 trustee, Higher Education Archives Programme steering group member, ARA Professional Development Programme Assessor, peer reviewer on the Archive Service Accreditation standard, ARA Diversity and Inclusion Ally and member of the TNA Inclusive Archival Practice Network Steering Group.
Content note / what to expect
Owing to the nature and context of the materials, elements of these events may be offensive and/or distressing.
We will be doing our best to provide the space for audiences to safely engage with the material, but welcome anyone with concerns or queries to contact us at [email protected].
These events have been designed for adults.
Our evening workshop at Brixton House may feature alcohol.
Accessibility
We strive to ensure our events are as accessible as possible, with specific details on each event page but we encourage anyone with concerns, queries or requests regarding accessibility to contact us at [email protected].