Geographic Emphases

The Hay’s collections are international in scope. Current geographical strengths are Western Europe (Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain), North America (Canada, United States, Mexico), and Latin America (especially Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic). The collections also contain important material from East Asia (focusing on China and Japan), South and Southeast Asia (India and Burma/Myanmar), the Middle East (Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran), and Africa (Postcolonial Anglophone and Lusophone).

The Hay will continue to collect internationally, but future collecting will focus on transnational movements and material created within the Global South or its diaspora. Priority will be given to building collections that reflect the artistic, historical, literary, and theoretical expressions of the various cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Growth of collections in these areas will occur in close partnership with the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Through its renewed focus on the Global South, the Hay could unintentionally replicate structures of colonialism and racism. To ensure ethical, intentional, and equitable collecting, the Hay’s Guiding Principles for Collecting emphasize community engagement and shared authority and stewardship of material.