Arhivski vjesnik, Vol. 46 No. 1, 2003.
Pregledni rad
Postmodern archival science: introductory questions
Arian Rajh
Sažetak
The basic intention of this article is to show relations between postmodern thought and archival science, through its theoretical presumptions and practical inurements. In concordance with the formulations of impossible introduction (in Curtius sense) used in many texts before, it is hard to epitomize a great number of paradigmatic courses in current Theory, especially in the text which is in a pursuit of recent theoretical implications on today's archives as important scientific and social institutions. First of all, article gathers information about postmodernism which leads us to dissimilar comprehensions of the term and further various outlines. After a short review of some ideas from different aspects, this paper raises a question about connections among postmodernism, modernism, tradition and contemporarity according to its cultural establishment and possible political uses of technology. For the purpose of that three relevant authors (and three approaches to our hereditary traint for knowledge, tradition and technology) have been consulted in order to describe function of archival scientific discourse, proceedings with archival items according to some metaphorical concepts that lie beneath scientific methods and problem of legitimation of science. Can it be achieved through the influence of technology or is it that the same technology is a part of a broad cultural sphere? Foucault informed scientists about them being dependent on power and its own strategies in which scientific discourse is polyvalent tactics. The thought of the archives as a part of the government and transgressive places at the same time can be widened according to Foucault's ideas of complex social strategies and archival notions of a new kind of governance. Considering relations between archives, its discourse and power, it is obvious that the main tasks of archival science have changed: historical research is no longer the only goal and the concept of history itself has altered. Structures that enable scientific knowledge are contradictive according to Derrida. In the center of structure often lies the external idea which operates traditional devices and rhetoric. The deconstruction of these instruments enables us to focus on the other part of binary opposition between records creator and records. Nevertheless, we are working with texts, with records which were considered as mere supplements. It would not be exaggerated to say that archives are multicultural destination points… if so, their objects must be cultural signs and that implies some new approaches in records analysis and interpretation. What kind of the semiotic model of a sign can be applied on archives and what can be achieved by using this approach? The shifts from the classical representational sign toward derridian marque and Peirce’s interpretant have consequences on appraisal and relationship between record and creator. These two issues are related with archival practice. What happens with social role of the archivists when they become interprets of cultural legacy? Lyotard searched for new legitimating principles of scientific discourses in the time distrustful of great narrations such as emancipation and progress. Instead of legitimating through performance, he suggested real co-existence of many scientific world descriptions. This assumed at least two consequences: technology can affect archives only as a part of a wider political condition and, second, no other external ethical, political or any language can legitimate archival science as its own discourse can. This can provide an un-doubtful autonomy for archival practice. Paralogical legitimation of the archives as cultural institutions of different communities can be achieved only in social context what actualizes broader understanding of archives. Postmodernism can juxtapose autonomy of archival science with plurality of interpretations of archives. The purpose of this article is to ask certain questions and initiate some new approaches not just because there is a bad time for solid solutions, but because the only possible way to establish Archive as an institution of today can be found through discussion.
Ključne riječi
postmodern theory; cultural archive; archives and power; deconstruction of creator; archival sign; legitimation of archival science; archival policy
Hrčak ID:
7377
URI
Datum izdavanja:
26.3.2004.
Posjeta: 3.688 *