What did you do to celebrate International Archives Day? It almost passed me by. But then I read the ICA’s announcement and was intrigued to learn that the Day presented archivists with “a tremendous opportunity to promote the cause of records and archives in their country”. Not for the first time, this made me ponder a number of questions: just what is the "cause" of records and archives? why do they/we need a cause anyway? that is, why describe our profession within a framework of struggle? do I have a cause and, if so, what am I willing to sacrifice for it?
A healthy democracy, the protection of human rights and the guardianship of memory and identity - these are the obvious contenters for an archival cause. They are good causes. But, are they the real end goal? I think the answer to that is yes, to the majority of us and at the moment at least.
If we adopt these causes we can boldly proclaim, along with a slightly mis-quoted George Washington: “Our cause is noble; it is the cause of humankind!”
As long as these things are seen as desirable, they will be worth fighting for. Because having a cause implies having something to struggle against. This is a depressing thought. My career, seen from this view, is dedicated to resisting human selfishness and stupidity. And, in part, to documenting and preserving the evidence of its effects.
June 12, 2009
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