Memory and Coalfield Regeneration

Filmmaker and author Tom Hansell will open the panel by providing historic context for the exchange. After providing a brief background of the Welsh - Appalachian coalfield exchange that started in 1974, Hansell will discuss how archival material presented during a 2010 symposium at Appalachian State University inspired the After Coal project. During his presentation, Hansell will provide specific examples of how resources from regional archives, including the South Wales Miners Library at Swansea University and the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University have supported his work. He will illustrate his presentation with a short clip from the After Coal documentary. Hansell’s presentation will highlight how regional archives serve to preserve community memory, and how this collective memory is essential to engaging communities to create a sustainable future