Digital Repository for Preserving Queer Archives Histories in Indonesia

Abstract

The preservation of queer archives in Indonesia is a critical issue. Historically, queer communities have been marginalized and often erased from mainstream historical narratives, either deliberately or systematically. Since 2020, Queer Indonesia Archive (QIA) build a digital archiving project that aims to collect, preserve and disseminate materials depicting queer life in Indonesia. The project is volunteer-run, community-focused and non-profit. With digitalization, collection of queer archives will be source of knowledge and history value. This study explains how queer digital repositories in Indonesia were formed and managed. Then it examines the motivations, values, and strategies behind this digital repository initiatives. Furthermore, this study seeks to uncover the social, political, and technical challenges faced by repository managers and contributors. Methodologically, this research combines case studies and interview the QIA then analysis of Indonesia’s legal landscape. This research found that values of this digital repository are conservation, safety and privacy, and accessibility.

Keywords: Digitalization; Digital Repository; Histories; Queer Archive; Preservation.