THE LIBRARY IN TIMES OF CONFLICT

This book proposal features work drawn from several projects made over the past 30 years where we photographed libraries in places of war, libraries that experienced natural disasters and ones that have endured intentional human destruction. We examined the precarious place of libraries that straddle political or cultural boundaries and the role that libraries play in helping people displaced by conflict. We examined how libraries engage with the contentious topics of race and identity. We also explored how libraries have addressed various forms of violence in their communities and ways that they have helped these communities heal. Drawing from this large body of work, we are now focused on how libraries have conserved and protected our written and oral histories as well as provide solace and shelter, knowledge and comfort, inspiration and hope in an uncertain world.

In his book Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime, writer Kenneth Helphand proposes that gardens in conflict zones can often be an act of resistance and resilience. Dawson and Manchester have photographed libraries in communities wracked by conflict and strife. They have seen how libraries can be part of the solution by resisting historical or ongoing violence while also preserving memory. New York Times writer David Brooks described an appropriate response to our contentious times as “Defiant Humanism.” Like gardens, libraries can inspire hope and resilience in communities that sometimes lack both. This book is dedicated to these defiant libraries.