Magdalena Wiśniewska - Archives as a Memorial


In this article the Author proves archive to be a memorial, as the term is understood by the thesis presented by Pierre Nora.

In line with this thesis, it is the author's belief, that as a place that stores archival materials, every archive serves as a memorial, since it allows to look into the information and enter the past which is kept in them. Every type of archives is a depositary of the past.

Moreover, the author claims archive to be a place where memory is created and not only preserved. The author proposes to divide archives into two groups, with state, church and current records in one and social data and private archives in the other. At the same time, She emphasizes two properties that are distinctive of the second group of archives, as opposed to the first one.

They are: VOLITION (the act of gathering archival funds on one's own initiative) and ARBITRA-RINESS (mostly as to the choice of materials gathered).

The author draws our attention to the fact that a private archive may serve as a means to creating one's persona or creating a rememberance of one's lineage or family; it is also the testimony of its owner - as it is him or her who shapes the archive, and, at the same time, decides on the way future generations will remember him or her. On the other hand, social data archives create the history of a given community or territory, at the same time shaping it or even allowing it to be preserved in any way at all. In the case of social data archives, the author draws attention to the reasons for the formation of archives referring to "acceleration of history" and "democratisation of history".