Museum Accession Cards in Mohenjo-Daro: Archives, Labor, and Decolonial Practice

By Sophia Trifoli and Uzma Z Rizvi

"This presentation will focus on the layers of labor that emerge when cataloging archaeological archives. Moreover, it will shed light on the interplay of class and accessibility with labor in information spaces and how we can actively decolonize the extractive measures that seem to define the research world.

My work as a Pratt graduate research assistant at the Laboratory of Integrated Archaeology and Visual Heritage (LIAVH) has largely revolved around rethinking these modes in the archival material I work with. Most recently, this work has centered cataloging museum accession cards from the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, along with visualizing the data for an exhibition of the lab’s work at ICOM Dubai, titled “Visualizing Care”. LIAVH is a feminist, anticolonial and antiracist platform that, under the guidance of principal investigator Uzma Rizvi, progresses with guiding pillars of accessibility and inclusivity.

This paper will share the ways in which the ethics of LIAVH have shaped my experience working with archaeological museum accession cards, specifically in my process and understanding of labor. "