The Reimagining KAVHA zine series emerges from an Australian Research Council-funded project, ‘Reimagining Norfolk Island’s Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area’. This project analyses how cultural injustices are reinforced or resisted within KAVHA as a living heritage site. Specifically, we focus on Pitcairn Settler descendants’ relationships with Daun’taun, as well as that of other residents who have long and deep connections to the area, and their experience of heritage management in KAVHA. In addition to publishing scholarly writing (e.g. peer-reviewed articles), another way we aim to capture these relationships is by co-creating zines with the community. Zines are a research tool used by social scientists to centre creativity, collaboration, agency and resistance.

The zines in this series are a form of public history and community archiving, enabling people to tell their stories on their own terms. We approach the zines as a way to facilitate the sharing of memories, experiences, feelings and local knowledge. This isn’t about creating a definitive history of the subject at hand. Instead, the zines in this series provide a space where multiple voices can appear together, recording the emotional resonance of the past. As such, the zines are forms of heritage activism which emphasise the democratisation of history-making.

Our first zine, See You at the Paradise, was published in September 2021. Our second zine, Mais Daun’taun, Volume 1, was published in December 2021. Our third zine, Mais Daun’taun, Volume 2 was published in April 2022.

To contribute to future zines, see Call for contributions or email us.