Archival Silences: Missing, Lost and, Uncreated Archives

Archival Silences explores the global presence of archival absences, questioning the notion of benign silence and highlighting the connections between autocratic regimes and the failure to record crimes against humanity. The book emphasizes the need for recordkeeping to be mandated by international courts and bodies and proposes broader approaches to reading archives to compensate for absences. It is directed at scholars and students interested in social justice, archival studies, history, sociology, international relations, international law, business administration, and information science.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 258 pages
\n Publication date: 11 May 2021
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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Archival Silences is a groundbreaking book that demonstrates the pervasive presence of archival absences across the globe. It raises critical questions about whether the term "silence" adequately captures the diverse range of destructions, concealment, and absences found within archival collections. This truly international collection, featuring contributions from archivists and scholars from various countries, examines archives in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, England, India, Iceland, Jamaica, Malawi, The Philippines, Scotland, Turkey, and the United States. The book makes a compelling connection between autocratic regimes and the failure to record often horrendous crimes against humanity, highlighting a widespread phenomenon. It argues that the failure of governments to create records or to allow access to records is universal, contributing to the establishment of a hegemonic narrative that excludes the "other."

The book showcases the actions taken by historians and archivists to address gaps in archives, emphasizing their commitment to ensuring the preservation and accessibility of historical records. However, it also acknowledges that silences in archives are inevitable and proposes that recordkeeping should be mandated by international courts and bodies. Moreover, the book advocates for developing broader ways of reading archives to compensate for absences.

Archival Silences addresses fundamental issues of access to the written record worldwide, appealing to those with a concern for social justice, including scholars and students of archival studies, history, sociology, international relations, international law, business administration, and information science. By shedding light on the complexities and challenges of preserving and accessing historical records, this book contributes to our understanding of the past and the importance of preserving our collective memory.

\n Weight: 418g\n
Dimension: 232 x 155 x 31 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780367774820\n \n