ABSTRACT
Drawing on fieldwork of the artist-activist project Noncitizen Archive, this chapter seeks to unsettle epistemological state-centrism while also moving away from conventional notions of transnationalism. As an alternative, the concept of ‘transversal heritage’ is proposed. This concept is further explored in relation to cultural archiving carried out by ‘noncitizen’ activists and in relation to the (counter)archive more broadly. Situating Noncitizen Archive as in, but not of, the nation-state, the chapter emphasizes how transversal tactics are able to both seek recognition and escape formal lawmaking. In the concluding section, the limits and potentials of the ‘stateless archive’ as such are discussed.
