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Arhivski vjesnik, No. 42, 1999.

Conference paper

Silencing the archival voice: the destruction of archives and other obstacles to archival research in post-communist Eastern Europe

Ivo Banac

Full text: croatian pdf 2.881 Kb

page 217-222

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Full text: english pdf 2.881 Kb

page 217-222

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Abstract

All archival collections have their familiars - their personal voices, which convey matter-of-fact statistics, bureaucratic reserve, but also the anquish and passion of historical actors and the aspirations for noble and ignoble goals. Historians and other researchers all have their lists of embarrassing and silly stories about "access" and lack thereof. Until the systemic collapse of 1989/90, these were an obligatory aspect of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Nowadays, especially as a consequence of wars that aim at obliterating memory, the archival voices are being silenced by far more challenging obstacles - worst of all; with the wholesale destruction of archival collections. In some cases, as in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the destruction of archives is a strategy of war. Destroy the history of the "other" and you are on the way to having your proclaimed "enemy" deprived of a vertical continuity. This strategy is as flawed as it is dangerous. The destruction of Naepolitan archives in the Second World War abolished the history of Naples as little as the destruction of the Oriental Institute in Sarajevo can abolish the history of Bosnia-Hercegovina. But it is a disaster nevertheless. And since history is not particularist, the sources never are. The destruction of an archival collection harms all - not just one group or constituency. This paper points out how and offers several proposals for the protection of archival sources.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

10596

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/10596

Publication date:

18.2.2000.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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