Arhivski vjesnik, Vol. 67 No. 1, 2024.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.36506/av.67.1
A Contribution to Archival Ethics: Characteristics of the Archivists, the Perspective of Justice, and Archival Appraisal
Arian Rajh
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
The author starts with a remark that records managers and corporate archivists feel differently about the archival code of ethics than archivists who work in state archives. A similar peculiarity was also mentioned in the literature. That is why the author considers reinterpreting archival professional deontology and linking it to ethics of characteristics or virtues. In the article, the author considers characteristics of self-reflexivity, empathy, inclusiveness, and transparency as virtues that could be shared among archivists. Justice is considered a behaviour upon which archivists could act, especially in the archival appraisal. Previously mentioned characteristics should lead to that behaviour, and this is the basis of the conceptual model of ethics showcased in the article.
The author considers Scott Cline’s theory of virtues and archival being and reflects on the notion of behaviour from psychology because justice is seen in this paper more as behaviour than a complex virtue. Self-reflexivity, empathy, inclusiveness, and transparency are expected characteristics of persons entrusted to manage and preserve archival materials. They lead to justice. Justice in this paper is considered in the context of philosophical ethics and political philosophy, such as Aristotle and Rawls’s theory. Justice is also examined as an essential concept for archival work and thematised in various archival theories, from Duff, Flinn, Suurtamm, and Wallace to Caswell, Cifor, and Harris. The author sets up his conceptual, ethical model and applies it primarily to archival appraisal (although it can be applied to the description and usage of archival material – this should be the theme for additional study and the imaginable ontology of archival ethics). The author considers self-reflexivity as a starting point of the archivalisation phase of archival appraisal instead of Rawls’ primary positions and the veil of ignorance. The next difference between the proposed ethical model and Rawls’ theory lies in the relativization of rationalism and the plausible usage of harmonization tendency in archives. The just appraisal should include empathy, because various positions related to archival materials should be evaluated, and inclusivity so various values can be regarded. Numerous values in the value catalogue should be assessed during appraisal, not the bare evidential value of information and records. Inclusiveness serves us in appraisal instead of hardly obtainable fairness. Ultimately, the appraisal process should be transparently documented so users can discover why they ended with these materials prepared in particular ways.
Archivists acting according to the justice principle require a reflexive examination of values, a review of archival science as the foundation of archival activities, and their social role and purpose. They are directed by an empathic understanding of others’ positions, inclusive acceptance that Others may have their values, and endorsement of these values for the value catalogue. They regard transparency as a tool to legitimize their professional activities, especially in the appraisal process. In addition to appraising archival materials by the archivists, the characteristics considered in the article could serve as a basis for public evaluations of contemporary archivists and their work.
Keywords
archival ethics; appraisal as performative; empathy; inclusivity; justice as a behaviour; self-reflexivity; transparency
Hrčak ID:
324794
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2024.
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