In our “Emerging Voices” series, we highlight reflections from students, early career professionals, and first-time conference attendees from the ACA 2026 virtual conference! In this blog post, Chante Barnwell, Ph.D. candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at York University, introduces her current doctoral research topic and educational background and then reflects on her presentation and experience at the 2026 ACA virtual conference as a 2026 ACAF Emerging Voice Award Recipient.

Educational Background

My name is Chante Barnwell, and I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I’m currently a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-Legal Studies and a graduate teaching assistant for a course on Human Rights, International Law, and Society in the Department of Social Science at York University. My Ph.D. dissertation research investigates how the collection, categorization, digitization, and distribution of mainstream media-produced crime photographs contribute to public perceptions of criminality and victimization. Furthermore, through my research analysis, I focus on race, processes of racialization, bias and representation within archival collections, through close readings of select groupings of archival photographic images related to social justice-oriented crime cases spanning three decades in Toronto, Canada. I also aim to analyze and determine how existing public and institutional policies can be applied to the preservation of crime images for public consumption and to illuminate the privacy and ethical implications of these practices. To conduct my research, I will employ qualitative methods, including interviews, case studies, and visual analysis, while drawing on arguments from critical archival studies, visual criminology, critical race theory, memory studies, photographic theory, and digital Black Atlantic studies.

Before beginning my PhD, I earned a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) in 2020 and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Documentary Media in 2018, both from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). I also obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 2014, where I specialized in Art and Culture, majored in Studio (Visual Arts), and minored in Art History. During my previous graduate studies, I completed two Master's Research Papers (MRPs) and a solo, self-curated MFA gallery thesis exhibition. My past research topics ranged from Afro-diasporic communal celebrations and Emancipation Day commemoration practices in Caribbean Canadian carnival celebrations in Toronto to urban governance and the geographic inequity of heritage conservation districts (HCDs) planning policies in Toronto, Canada. As an interdisciplinary scholar researching through a socio-legal and criminological lens, I have developed a strong interest in theorizing archives and archival studies through my past and current graduate studies research methods and outputs, which motivated my engagement with the ACA’s 2026 call for conference papers and its theme, Making Archival Theory Relevant to Daily Practice.

2026 ACA Virtual Conference Reflection on the Emerging Voice Award Panel

At this year's 51st annual virtual conference of the Association of Canadian Archivists, I was honoured to be selected by the ACAF board and ACA conference committee to present as one of the 2026 ACAF Emerging Voices Awards recipients. My independently authored research paper, entitled "Canada-United States National Archives and the Publicized Narratives of Diplomatic Exchanges Across Borders", a separate topic from my current PhD dissertation research, examined the publicized narratives of diplomatic exchanges between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), analyzing how these narratives are constructed and identifying emerging patterns. I drew on critical archival theory, media studies, international relations, and cultural studies, as well as methodological approaches in media, visual, and content analysis. I further situated my inquiry within broader questions of cultural diplomacy, soft power, archival access, and international collaboration, as well as the roles of archival institutions, archivists' records, and concepts of power and state authority as theorized by archival and memory scholars.

My research paper topic evolved from my encounter with a public post by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on its official "X" account, which recognized the seventh edition of the International Council on Archives (ICA) International Archives Week. The 2025 theme, “Archives for Everyone - #ArchivesAreAccessible” (International Council on Archives (ICA), 2025), stood out to me, given the evolving access to national archives at the time worldwide and the possible challenges some may have travelling and accessing archival holdings across the border amid heightened Canada-U.S. tensions led by tariff disputes and renewed debates over the memory politics of marginalized groups in both public and private collections in the United States.

LAC and NARA's engagement in diplomatic exchanges, which are publicly communicated through newsletters, press briefings, official and observational photo opportunities, and social media posts, is an important public-facing tool for these two memory institutions. However, there is limited scholarly research on the impact of these exchanges in the context of Canada-U.S. relations and as a demonstration of cultural diplomacy, even as 2026 marks two centuries of cross-border engagement between the two countries. This gap underscores the relevance of my research paper, especially for Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) institutions, emphasizing the need for further examination.

Since beginning my doctoral studies, I have presented several of my research papers at over two dozen conferences and symposiums across Canada, the United States, and Europe, both in person and virtually. However, as a current ACA member, it was my first time attending and presenting at the ACA conference to an audience predominantly composed of archivists and information professionals, and it went extremely well, with over 100 conference participants attending our virtual panel session. My fellow graduate student panellists and awardees, Payton Kufeldt, University College Dublin (UCD), Zannelle Iwen, University of British Columbia (UBC) and Lauren St. Clair, University of British Columbia (UBC), presented engaging research presentations that showcased and addressed unique and timely aspects of both the practical and theoretical components of archival studies, archival institutions, and the archival profession as a whole. I also enjoyed attending the other conference sessions and the three major plenaries throughout the four-day conference. Overall, I felt my research contribution reached a large portion of the ACA membership and I was very pleased with the conference atmosphere and audience engagement. I will also publish the results of my research paper findings at some point in the future.

Biography: Chante Barnwell (She/Her), MA, MFA, Hon. BA, is a researcher, Ph.D. candidate and a graduate teaching assistant in the Socio-Legal Studies graduate program within the Department of Social Science at York University in Toronto, Canada.