Archival interventions and the language we use

Wright, Kirsten

doi:10.1007/s10502-019-09306-y

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Although gradually more attention is given to different archival traditions, infrastructures and perspectives (Falola 2017) such as community archives (Stevens et al 2010) and practices of non-documentary forms of knowledge and memory formation by historically marginalised groups (McEwan 2003), and despite continuum concepts having gained ground, archival theory is still highly dominated by European concepts which are rooted in the ideas as formulated in the Dutch Manual, and by archivists such as Jenkinson and Schellenberg. They all have a strong institutional and government-centred focus and a rather limited and one-dimensional view of provenance (Bastian 2013, Wright 2019. Although poststructuralist critique may have raised the awareness of archival power and to a certain extent even dismantled meta-narratives as the large unifying frameworks for interpretation and understanding the past, we argue that this does not mean that memory institutions have become critical spaces that interrogate their own role in maintaining or breaking neo-colonial power structures or invest in and facilitate a multidimensional, pluralized use of the colonial heritage they keep.…”

Section: Concepts Of Decolonizingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concrete products are glossaries in which the relevance of language is explained and alternatives for problematic terms are suggested, for example Venir and Lundin (2016) and "Woorden doen ertoe" [Words Matter] (n.d.) published by Tropen Museum, Afrika Museum, Museum Volkenkunde and Wereldmusuem, which contains sensitive and problematic terms which are used to label items in (colonial) collections. For the international debate, see for instance Wright (2019). Furthermore, we notice that the debate is predominantly framed as seeking inclusiveness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paradoxes of curating colonial memory

Jeurgens

Karabinos

2020

Arch Sci

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In the last decade, many initiatives were taken to digitize colonial archival legacies. In this article, we analyse Dutch policy and a number of Dutch initiatives in this field with the aim to find answers to our central question whether digitization of colonial archival legacies offers possibilities to decolonize these archives. The aspiration to decolonize colonial legacies seems to be a paradoxical statement since there is something innately colonial in the recordkeeping systems that cannot, and should not, be removed. But digitization of archives means creating new recordkeeping infrastructures, and these new infrastructures shape new interfaces between the documents which were created in the past and the users of today. We argue that decolonizing these archives can be based on a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of the variables which shape the new digital archival infrastructure. Inspired by the third-space perspective and the concept of (de)coloniality, we explore the possibilities to develop archival infrastructures that contribute to decolonizing colonial archival legacies in the sense of offering multivocality, multiple agency and multiple provenance. We conclude that what we call third-space infrastructural frameworks create promising opportunities to contribute to the decolonization of colonial archival legacies.

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Section: Concepts Of Decolonizingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paradoxes of curating colonial memory

Jeurgens

Karabinos

2020

Arch Sci

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“…By casually replicating racist terminology in records without context or warnings, iJournal, Vol 6, No. 1, Wright (2019) states that these terms become legitimized over time "…forc[ing] users to engage with terms and ideas which are offensive, insulting, and potentially traumatic" (p. 341). Therefore, it is evident that archival processes are not passive tasks but "critical interventions" that require sensitivity (Wright, 2019).…”

Section: An Archivist's Responsibility and The Significance Of Archivmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1, Wright (2019) states that these terms become legitimized over time "…forc[ing] users to engage with terms and ideas which are offensive, insulting, and potentially traumatic" (p. 341). Therefore, it is evident that archival processes are not passive tasks but "critical interventions" that require sensitivity (Wright, 2019). While archivists should not alter archival records to remove offensive content, the user's interaction with the records is notably guided by the contextualization provided by the archive.…”

Section: An Archivist's Responsibility and The Significance Of Archivmentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing With Sensitivity: The Importance of Standardizing Descriptions of Archival Material from Indigenous Communities

White¹

2020

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As custodians of records, archivists have the power to produce descriptions that respect the culture and knowledge of Indigenous populations. The current descriptive standards do not contain guidance for describing archival material from Indigenous communities, which is a critical absence that requires further discussion. It is important to generate specialized considerations regarding the representation of these archival documents because language is a powerful tool that can disrupt or perpetuate colonial legacies. Several recommendations can be offered, such as collaborating with members of Indigenous communities to acknowledge their expertise over their cultural heritage. By generating an accessible standard, archivists can employ proactive strategies at the outset of the description process. Ultimately, archival spaces must be willing to adjust traditional archival practices to sensitively perform their duty to the record subjects, creators, and researchers.

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“… 31. Kirsten Wright, “Archival Interventions and the Language We Use,” Archival Science , 19, no. 4 (2019): 334. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The War for Women’s Peace Archives at the New York Public Library: An Examination of Conflict in Curation and Stewardship

Stephan

2022

Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals

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Archivists and donors often experience conflict when promises made during the acquisition process are vaguely defined or do not match expectations. What is the long-term impact of this conflict? And what are the best ways of navigating such conflict? This article takes as a case study the acquisition and stewardship of the Schwimmer-Lloyd Collection at the New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division, beginning in 1940. This article explores how promises made by NYPL and expectations set by donors and upheld by collection consultant Edith Wynner impacted researcher access to the Schwimmer-Lloyd Collection both before and after its opening. Struggles over the Schwimmer-Lloyd Collection provided many lessons to NYPL archivists and administrators, and in the present day these lessons serve as poignant reminders about the importance of professional ethics and core values, namely responsible stewardship.

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Archival interventions and the language we use

Cited by 14 publications

References 25 publications

Paradoxes of curating colonial memory

Paradoxes of curating colonial memory

Writing With Sensitivity: The Importance of Standardizing Descriptions of Archival Material from Indigenous Communities

The War for Women’s Peace Archives at the New York Public Library: An Examination of Conflict in Curation and Stewardship

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