Extent:

113.85 Linear Feet (197 boxes, 1 flatfile folder, 4 film cans)

Scope and content:

Sekula's research files include photocopies and offprints, notes, maps from his travels, newspaper clippings, audiovisual material, and a small amount of early 20th-century monographs and photographs that served as source materials for his projects and writings and that reflect his general interests. Several boxes house Sekula's collections of articles, clippings, port reports, and photographs, speaking to his enduring interest in maritime themes such as containerization, oil spills, shipping industries, and more localized topics like Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Pedro Harbors. Additionally, Sekula compiled an extensive body of writings by A. D. Coleman, Thierry de Duve, George Eastman, Walker Evans, Ulrich Keller (who wrote on August Sander), Susan Sontag, and John Tagg. These writings cover a range of topics related to social justice, economic inequalities, labor unions, and environmental degradation.

The full issues of newspapers in this series predominantly date from the 1990s, covering the Bush era and the Gulf War, while the clippings are of a topical or political nature mostly relating to the Cold War. The research files from the late 1990s to the 2000s broadly cover global politics and economics.

Processing information:

Processing of this series was begun by Beth Ann Guynn and briefly taken over by Lauren McDaniel. Emmabeth Nanol completed the bulk of the processing of the series.

Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material, then by topic according to Sekula's original organization, and chronologically for full issues of newspapers and magazines. Unlabeled and unfoldered materials were organized based on Sekula's established topics. Additional topics were devised by the archivist based on Sekula's known interests.

Contents

Access and use