By Storm Sadovsky and Leah Dennis (University of Cape Town)
IAMHIST’s 31st biennial conference, held in June-July 2025, was all about de-centering, disrupting, re-imagining, and rethinking. Over the course of three days, around 100 scholars, students, filmmakers, archivers and media practitioners from across the globe met at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business Conference Centre to present work on this year’s theme, Decentering Media Practices and Histories – geographically reflected in the choice of location, with the conference being held for the first time in the Global South.
“The Archive is a Full-On Battlefield”: A selection of sketches of the event from conference committee member Dr Alexia Smit:
Day One: Opening the Archive, Beginning the Dialogue
Proceedings began on 30 June, a chilly winter morning, at the Breakwater Lodge, a fitting venue for historians. The Breakwater Prison, adjacent to the conference centre, originally served as a gaol for British convicts tasked with building Cape Town’s harbour breakwater in the 1850s, later becoming a segregated hostel for black dockworkers during apartheid. The venue’s transformation from prison to labour hostel, to academic institution, underscored the conference’s focus on how media shapes collective understanding of identity and loss.
After a welcome address from conference organiser Martha Evans and IAMHIST president Leen Engelen, keynote speaker Sekibakiba Lekgoathi reflected on the history of radio as a way of combatting oppressive forces in southern Africa in a talk titled “Radio Freedom, Sonic Archives, African Solidarity and the Liberation Struggle in Africa”. The address was paired with rare audio recordings broadcast by guerrilla radio stations in the 1970s and 80s, seeking to mobilise listeners.
The themes of subsequent parallel sessions reflected the conference aim – to figuratively turn the archive on its head – interrogating how recorded histories have been produced, remembered, and contested. These themes included “Rethinking the South African Press”, which included Gawie Botma’s work on the representation of slavery in the early press; “The Politics of Restitution”; and “Colonial Histories through Media Lenses”. Scholars showcased their research into the media histories of oft-neglected areas (e.g. Cape Town’s District Six by (Julie Raviri); the African Great Lakes Region (Marie-Eve Saint Georges); and Sudan (Marilyn Deegan and Laura Gibson)) and award-winning documentary filmmaker, photographer and writer Pratāp Rughani gave an insightful talk on his latest documentary film, Impossible Conversations, which sets up a decolonial dialogue in the wake a racist mass shooting in the US.
The second parallel session focused on the evolving role of academic researchers in shaping new, rectifying narratives. Lesley Cowling, Lesley Mofokeng and Gilles Teulié mapped the Anglo-Boer War across French and South African presses, while IAMHIST council member and blog editor Llewella Chapman led an IAMHIST workshop for students and early-career researchers of media history, with speakers including Tobias Hochscherf (Vice President) and James Fenwick and Veronica Johnson (co-editor and book reviews editor of the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television). A session titled “To Archive or Not to Archive?” included a provocative talk on taking a Swedish death-cleaning approach to wildlife film archives (Ian Glenn) as well as the thought-provoking experiences of student interns (Katherine Poggenpoel, Razeema Bham and Gabi Zietsman) in archiving audiovisual material at UCT.
The conference included a number of presentations on liberation movement communication and anti-colonial agency, with scholar Wendy Willems presenting fascinating work on the ephemeral media operations of anti-colonial movements, while a panel, titled “Critical Paths to Anti-colonial Agency in Film and Media Dialetics”, explored the effectiveness of journalism and film as mediums of resistance. Meanwhile, in “The Archive in the Everyday”, scholars investigated how unofficial forms of memory contest dominant narratives, looking at memory in a variety of phenomena, from fan cultures and game studies to social media and filmmaking. “Once Upon a Time in Television: UK TV History” highlighted how national British identity has been cultivated through TV broadcasting, including in Channel 4 (Rod Stoneman) and in the work of Michael Palin (James Fenwick)
The programme for Day One concluded with a screening of the multiple award-winning documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Nariman Massoumi. Using archival sources (letters, photographs), Massoumi’s poetic film charts Dylan Thomas’s haunting journey through Iran in 1951, while on an assignment to write a script for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, a project he ultimately jettisons. Narrated by Michael Sheen, this layered exploration demonstrates how soundscape and image can combine to create effective counter-narratives.
The screening was followed by a glamorous welcome reception on the rooftop floor of the conference building. The clouds had cleared, and the venue’s glass doors and wraparound balcony gave delegates an impressive view of Cape Town’s famed Table Mountain set against the sunset and cityscape. Delegates were treated to one of South Africa’s best exports, wine, as well as a variety of local cheeses and the South African delegacy, biltong.
Day Two: An Intellectual Continuum, From Panel to Page to Plate
Highlights of the second day included a hands-on workshop on decolonising archival research, a standout keynote panel discussion, a celebratory book launch, and of course the conference dinner at the Waterfront’s Sevruga restaurant.
A well-attended workshop run by Tanja Bosch, Wanelise Xaba, Richard Higgs and Shamila Abrahams, offered a participatory approach to reconfiguring archival practices in today’s post-colonial society, providing innovative solutions to conventional methods. Other sessions delved into issues of representation, practice, and historical context and included the themes “Zulus, Cowboys & Rugby Players: National Stereotypes Revisited” and “Green on Screen: Colonialism and Ireland”. Meanwhile, “Practising Film in the Archive” examined the intersection of film and archival work, encouraging the audience to consider both the challenges and opportunities of curating moving images.
The fifth parallel session showcased a diverse range of thought-provoking panels. “Neglected African Screen Histories” brought attention to the underrepresented contributions of African cinema, highlighting its crucial function in influencing global narratives. “Take Two: Rethinking Film Archiving, History and Practice” mobilised participants in reconsidering the evolving approaches to archiving films through blending inclusive historical insight with modern technological methods. At the same time, Mustafa Orhan Göztepe, Tolga Hepdinçler, Zeynep Koçer Göztepe, Eleni Varmaz presented a panel on the dynamics of post-colonial theory and Turkish cinema by reviewing how a series of local films have successfully challenged national identities. Lastly, Egor Korneev, Mahmoud Hussein, Burçe Çelik and Sebastian Rose presented work on the complex and lengthy media histories from the Middle East while providing new insights on cultural evolutions taking place within the region.
The keynote panel titled “Colonial Reels & the PanAfrican Cinema Archive: Critical Disruptions of Archives of Empire” introduced audiences to the fascinating work of the Colonial Reels project, a network of top scholars, archivists and practitioners, spearheaded by Jacqueline Maingard, and included talks by luminaries such as Imruh Bakari, Emma Sandon, Jihan El-Tahri, June Givanni and Samantha Iwowo.
The evening’s social events were preceded by a double book launch of legendary photojournalist Paul Weinberg’s iconic work in Between the Cracks and academic Gawie Botma’s The Slave Press: Reconsidering the History of South African Journalism.
Luckily, the weather held, and delegates were able to waltz down to Sevruga restaurant at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for a scrumptious three-course dinner, paired with local wines.
Day Three: Looking Forward
Day Three dawned with a standout session focused on South African TV History, Restitution, Heritage, and Audiovisual Archives. Gilbert Motsaathebe, Sisanda Nkoala and collaborators delivered “The Latecomer’s Tale”, reflecting on the ways South African television has shaped and been shaped by the country’s turbulent political history. It was a thoughtful unpacking of the media’s role in both nation-building and resistance. Meanwhile, Richard Legay and Rebecca Ohene-Asah presented on the restitution of cultural heritage in audiovisual archives, reminding the room of the ethical urgency to repatriate media artefacts to formerly colonised communities.
Next door, another session turned the spotlight on South Asia. Under the banner “Indian Networks, Intermediaries & Audiences,” presenters traced colonial-era communication systems and their human infrastructure. Sebastian Rose’s paper on Armenian and Anglo-Indian telegraph workers, for instance, opened up a lesser-known chapter in the global media story. Yamini Chintamani and Stephen Hughes each explored how early cinema in India served as both documentation and spectacle, asking who the intended audiences were and who got to tell the story. Over in the main auditorium, a particularly moving session was underway. Titled “The South African Experience Trilogy – In Conversation,” this event saw former president Nick Cull and filmmaker Antony Thomas screen clips from the 1977 Channel 4 documentary series of the same name. The trilogy, best known for Six Days of Soweto, offers rare, unfiltered depictions of apartheid South Africa. Following the screening, Thomas candidly discussed the risks and responsibilities of documenting such a fraught moment in history. The room was still and attentive, a quiet testament to the power of visual storytelling and the preservation of archives. By the end of the morning, it was clear that this final day wasn’t winding down; it was asking big questions and inviting an honest reckoning with the past.
IAMHIST General Assembly & Awards
The day’s academic programme concluded with the IAMHIST General Assembly and vote of thanks to outgoing president Leen Engelen, who has worked so hard to diversify and extend the reach and influence of IAMHIST. The conclusion of a successful conference in Cape Town was a fitting end to her term. Incoming president Ciara Chambers addressed delegates about forthcoming events and introduced new council members, following a successful election.
A particularly celebratory moment came with the announcement of the 2025 IAMHIST prizes. Applause filled the room as the winners of the Michael Nelson Book Prize, the Christine Whittaker Multimedia Prize, the Culbert Family Book Prize, and the Routledge-IAMHIST article prizes were revealed. This year’s Michael Nelson Prize went to Eleanor Patterson for her work Bootlegging the Airwaves, for her outstanding contribution to the field. These honours not only celebrate excellence in scholarship, they also inspire members, seasoned and emerging alike, to contribute to the shifting conversations around media and history. After the formalities and fanfare, delegates dispersed into the sunshine for lunch, the lively hum of conversation continuing as they prepared for the afternoon’s activities.
Historical Walking Tour of the Waterfront
Some delegates set off for a Historical Walking Tour of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Strolling past the old crane and the solemn walls of the Slave Lodge, the group paused at each landmark to hear stories of how print, radio and early cinema arrived here by ship and rail. The echo of gulls overhead mingled with tales of newspapers once printed in nearby docks, and guides pointed out where travelling projectionists set up impromptu screenings for dockworkers. With Table Mountain’s granite face watching over them, the tour brought the city’s layered past vividly to life, reminding everyone that media history lives in the streets and stones, not just the archives.
Reflections on the Conference Legacy
Day Three wrapped up a conference that felt, in many ways, like a gathering of old friends and new collaborators. From lively panel rooms to quiet corners over coffee, IAMHIST 2025 showed just how strong, and global, this community has become. Scholars from across six continents shared work that pushed against Eurocentric frames, whether by recovering overlooked African cinema or rethinking colonial archives through local lenses. The setting in Cape Town, with its own layered media and colonial histories, added a powerful backdrop to these conversations. Again and again, the conference theme of decentring came through, not just in theory, but in practice. Whether delegates were walking the Waterfront, debating restitution in packed sessions, or watching decades-old documentaries with their creators, the message was clear: history lives in many places, and it belongs to many people. One delegate put it perfectly: “We came together here to rewrite old stories from the edges.” It’s a line that stayed with many of us long after the final session closed.
About the author
Leah Dennis is a Master’s candidate in Political Studies at the University of Cape Town and a teaching assistant in first-year politics. Her research focuses on international relations and normative theory, with particular attention to humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. Her MA thesis critically examines the legitimacy of NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya through an R2P framework, considering the political, legal, and ethical justifications advanced by key member states. She holds an Honours degree in Political Communication, with academic training in media analysis, political messaging, and regulatory frameworks, and has served as a tutor and head tutor in both politics and media studies. Her broader academic interests include global governance, security studies, and the role of international institutions in conflict management, as well as the intersection between media, law, and political accountability.
Storm Sadovsky is a Master of Arts (MA) candidate and a researcher for the Digital Media Sociology (DMS) Lab at the University of Cape Town. Storm studies Digital Methods Research, with a particular focus on the manosphere, platform architecture, and the digital attention economy. In the midst of completing his dissertation, Storm tutors both first- and third-year media studies students in pursuit of inspiring others to recognise the value of the discipline and its potential to change the world. Outside of academia, Storm is a an avid long-distance runner, hiker, and nature enthusiast. The aspirational dreams Storm follows are to advance impactful media scholarship, cultivate transformative mentorship, and help shape media environments that serve the public good.
Disclaimer
The IAMHIST Blog is a platform that offers individual scholars the opportunity to present their work and thoughts. They alone are responsible for the content, which does not represent the view of the IAMHIST council or other IAMHIST members.
