Ethics and Colonial Archives in Latin America

During our last class session, we discussed two cases regarding the ethics of archives. The article on Amerindian materials held by institutions not belonging to these ethnic groups was the one that made me reflect on the historical situation of archives in the context of colonial Latin America.

Despite the growing interest in recent years in the preservation, study, and repatriation of colonial archives to the communities and nations to which they belong, through international policies and agreements to promote ethics in the management and repatriation of historical archives, the situation is far from optimal.

I recall some unethical situations that colonial Latin American archives have faced (which, to some extent, still persist, particularly in archives related to the recent history of dictatorships in some Latin American countries, especially those documenting torture, disappearances, or atrocious acts against individuals, communities, or the civilian population). I would like to enumerate some of these ethical cases:

1. Plundering of archives: During the colonial period and thereafter, there were practices of plundering archives by colonizers and foreign governments. These archives often contained valuable information about the history and culture of indigenous and local communities.

2. Manipulation of history: In some cases, colonial archives have been used to manipulate or distort history in order to justify conquest and colonial rule. This has contributed to the perpetuation of Eurocentric narratives and the suppression of indigenous and local perspectives.

3. Restriction of access: Throughout history, access to colonial archives has been restricted, making it difficult to research and preserve the history of Latin America. This has sometimes been done to protect political or economic interests.

4. Document theft: Colonial archives often contain documents of great historical and cultural value. In some cases, documents have been stolen and smuggled for sale on the black market, resulting in the loss of valuable heritage.

5. Lack of document restitution: Despite efforts to recover stolen or plundered documents, many of them have not yet been returned to their rightful owners or to their home nations.

While the cases I enumerate do not have a direct connection to the reading studied in class, they serve to expand the crucial reflection on ethics in the preservation and accessibility of repositories, as well as on the ethics in their use by researchers or state power apparatuses.

Class presentations

In our class this week, I had the opportunity to listen to my classmates present their insights on various Finding aids from different archives and repositories. This experience was extremely interesting. Firstly, I got to learn a bit about my classmates' research interests and why they need to consult archives. Seeing such a rich diversity of research projects made me think about how necessary it was for all of us to take this class. Gradually, as we progress in the course, or at least in my case, I feel more confident and aware of how archives function. This makes me a more effective user of the sources and resources offered by various archives.

On the other hand, my classmates' critical observations of the different finding aids have been very enriching; I could understand how each archive organizes (at least on their website) the contents of their repository. Some provide an introductory presentation that includes their collection development policy, while in others, like the case of Brown University, their collection development is not so evident.

I also find it curious how each archive organizes its metadata. The case presented by my classmate Claire, about the Historical Society of Philadelphia, was a particular case. The organization of metadata in such an old archive like HSP can be a bit confusing for a novice archive researcher, and as my classmate pointed out, the links in the finding aid could sometimes be misleading.

Other finding aids offer a panoramic view of their collections, which, in my opinion, is more user-friendly for the researcher. It was also useful to learn about how each archive presents access for researchers, especially information regarding opening hours and service charges.

Finally, a finding aid that I consider highly valuable for researchers are those that, succinctly, guide the researcher in the use of the finding aids before starting to navigate the catalogs. This brief guide is of great value because, as has been mentioned, the way each website is organized is not the same for every archive.

Blog 5: Preservation and conservation

 Yesterday's class allowed us to reflect on two basic yet powerful words in the world of archives: preservation and conservation. The line between these two disciplines can be thin, and in many cases, archivists transition between them without feeling a significant difference. However, both terms refer to distinct subjects.

"Preservation" refers to the protection of archival materials. It aims to reduce chemical and physical deterioration to minimize information loss and thereby extend the life of cultural materials.

On the other hand, conservation is the discipline that deals with archival material that has suffered some form of deterioration or damage. In many cases, it is necessary to employ chemical and physical techniques to ensure the restoration of materials as closely as possible to their original form. This work requires training in functions that are sometimes very different from the typical duties of archivists, including knowledge of chemistry, paper techniques, ink, binding, and more. If a document, for example, has suffered significant damage, it may be necessary to involve conservators outside the regular archive staff. However, if the damage is minor, the archivist often has the opportunity to carry out the restoration process on-site.

Of these two concepts, I consider preservation to be the more important one because a well-preserved document will clearly not require restoration, thus preserving its original integrity.

For this reason, it is necessary to consider fundamental measures in the area of preservation. During the class yesterday, we reviewed the most relevant macro-level preservation measures, including:

• Appropriate temperature and humidity levels.

• Training of archive personnel in document handling.

• A pest-free environment.

• Adequate budget for storage supplies.

Following these macro-level guidelines can help mitigate the risks posed by external elements such as air pollution, mold and moisture, excessive heat and light, as well as rodents or other insects.

Lastly, humans can be the most dangerous element when it comes to the proper preservation of materials. This ranges from mishandling of archives to theft or removal of materials, which, once outside the physical space of the archive, may disappear forever.

Behind the scenes tour of the Special Collections Research Center

 

This week, our class consisted of an exciting visit to the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University. This visit was organized at just the right moment in the course's content development. Firstly, it allowed us to examine in situ the concepts we have been developing in the seminar, especially those related to the internal administration and organization of an archive, which, moreover, houses a very extensive collection. 

I was also very interested in hearing the comments and explanations of Mr. Josue Hurtado, who kindly guided us through the intricacies of the building, a place that very few people have access to. Likewise, exploring the building was a unique experience. I had never before had the opportunity to be in such a modern archive. The storage system is controlled by a sophisticated system that links the database to the physical location of the materials. When we started the visit and were still in the room set up for researchers to work with collection materials, I was reminded of Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose," set in a medieval Benedictine monastery. Just like in the repository of the SCRC, the monks had access to manuscripts in the scriptorium, but the vast collection of texts was housed in the great tower. In the case of the SCRC, the tower is underground, and the collection is moved, as in a science fiction story, by a robot. What would the monks of the 13th century think if they could see the evolution of their profession?

Secondly, the visit to the SCRC allowed me to gain a better understanding of the collections held by the archive. Without a doubt, I am now very curious to explore the ancient archives and manuscripts in more detail. I am very grateful for this visit of such high academic value, and I feel better prepared for the upcoming visit I will make to the archives of the Catholic Church.

Archivist and polymaths. Blog 3

 

The reading by Elizabeth Yankel has made me think about two topics that have been on my mind since the beginning of the course. The first one, which refers to the work of archivists and the limits of their profession. The second one, which I have discussed in the previous blog, is related to "dead archives", the author's reflection on "What is a record?" has served as a way to ensure the validity and vitality of these repositories.

Regarding the issue of the scope of archival work, as we discussed in class on one occasion, the article goes on to detail the tasks that, in my opinion, are exclusive to archivists. These tasks range from the method of organizing collections, always seeking to make repositories as user-friendly as possible. Hence, the context of information needs, and context of primary sources is taken into consideration.

On the other hand, the author contributes a fundamental element to this discussion, one that has inspired me to choose the title of this blog. Beyond administrative and organizational functions, the researcher emphasizes the dimension of the archivist's "Knowledge." According to the definition of Dauport and Prusak, knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experiences, values, context information, and expert insight, which leads her to call the archivist a "Scholarly colleague" of the researcher.

I absolutely love this expression. In my personal experience, it is completely true. The archivist is not limited to the passive role of moving documents back and forth for researchers; on the contrary, they are also researchers. The material knowledge that archivists have about the sources can contribute to the researcher's work in evaluating and understanding them. The four roles of the archivist as a translator, knowledge broker, boundary spanner, and gardener, to use the terminology of the article, turn the archivist (over the years) into a true "renaissance man," whose contribution to the conclusions a researcher can reach is vital, if mutual understanding is fluid.

Secondly, when the author revisits the concept of a "record," she sheds new light on the function and validity of "dead archives." As a result of this relationship between archivist and researcher, the record is not a passive container of 'content' but active processes of the record-keeping system that created the record. In this way, the recirculation, reclassification, or better understanding of the production context of a document can make old documents continue to provide "new" information. In this sense, we must recognize the advantages that digitization brings to the validity and circulation of repositories among a larger number of researchers.

Dead Archives?

 Do "dead archives" really exist?

After yesterday's discussion in class and in light of Terry Eastwood's reading, I've been wondering if so-called "established" archives are truly dead. My academic interests have led me to search for documents related to the Franciscan order's involvement in the Christianization process of Central America. The vast majority of these documents are not found in the Central American Isthmus.

Many of the archives from the ancient convents of Mesoamerica, by twists of fate, have ended up in private collections of universities and foundations in the United States, while another significant portion of these records remains in the hands of the Franciscan order.

The collections held by private institutions, such as those safeguarded by the University of Texas or the Academy of American Franciscan History, are much more accessible to researchers due to their standardization, arrangement, and the advanced state of digitization of their materials.

On the other hand, as I mentioned in yesterday's class, during a visit I made a couple of years ago to the Franciscan Archive of the Celaya convent in Guanajuato, Mexico, I could confirm that the organization of their collection was complicated and not very user-friendly.

It is my understanding that the Franciscan order in Mexico is consolidating all the archives related to the colonial period into a single archive, located in the city of Zapopan, Guadalajara.

This leads me to think that there are no "dead archives." Despite the institutions that produced these collections having disappeared or transformed over time, the act of mobilizing all these archives from different geographic areas to place them in one location, where they are expected to have their final resting place, represents a new archival endeavor.

I'm curious to know how the Franciscan order is organizing all this material. Is there a particular method the order uses to organize groups, subgroups, and series? Are they considering digitizing their archive? What are their criteria for maintaining private archives?

I guess I'll have to wait until I can visit them and find out the answers for myself. However, this class is providing me with valuable tools for analyzing these archives.

Digitalization here and there.

While reading Historians’ archival research looks quite different in the digital age by J. Abrams, I  meditated on my own circumstance. The author reflects on the work of archivists in times of digitization, although his concerns largely refer to the work of archiving in the future, it made me think about my present and the great benefits that the digitization of archives has brought us Central American researchers. I understand that the author is based on his experience from the technologically developed world. However, in the less developed regions of the world, the digitization of archives has opened the door to documents that were previously impossible to access, except at great financial expense, which in many cases are in the pockets of the researcher.

Large quantities of documents from the colonial period were extracted from countries, even in some cases in a violent or deceitful manner. Many of those documents are lost in private collections, only God knows where. However, others are found in important repositories in the United States, such as the library of the University of Texas in Austin, the Hispanic Society in New York, and others. The work, still partial, that these institutions have done to digitize these documents, has meant great advances for researchers in Latin America who no longer need to physically travel to the archive to access the documents. The amount of digitized material is still minimal, however, it is already significant.

On the other hand, I return to my personal circumstance. The article has made me think about all that other material that still, fortunately, remains in the original countries, but whose archivists work with very limited resources, and the dream of digitization is still distant on the horizon For these professionals, although the future already outlines the questions that the author raises in his article, their greatest concern is trying to keep pace with a world that advances rapidly, but that within the walls of its archive, seems to slow down.