The symposium “Archival Encounters” is devoted to the ways in which we encounter colonial archives and how we might engage archives from feminist, antiracist and decolonial perspectives. The symposium departs from the context of the archives of Danish colonialism in the former Danish West Indies, digitized in 2017, to reflect upon the political, epistemological and ethical challenges posed by colonial archives in the present. Taking this context as a starting point, the symposium wishes to open up this debate to transnational conversations about contested colonial heritage, colonial legacies and social justice. The symposium will discuss and reflect upon the limitations of knowing beyond the archive; the ethics and responsibility of encountering and displaying colonial materials; the importance of transnational exchanges to challenge colonial legacies; how to deal with contested heritage and questions of ownership, custody and restitution; and how to care for and curate colonial heritage.