Decolonising the Archive: Questions, Problems and Solutions?

Abstract

• Those working on or with colonial archives and collections face a number of challenges arising from the historical contexts of these materials: where they came from, how they were brought together (or separated), and who has been their custodian. In these circumstances, it is important that contemporary professionals do not repeat or entrench the mistakes of the past. Nowadays, there are seemingly simple solutions to some of the problems that we come across. Firstly, we must share the archives we use or care for with the people to whom they relate, allowing them to access what was lost or in most cases taken from them. Secondly, we have a responsibility to re-connect archives that have been dispersed and disrupted by colonialism. Finally, we have to write responsibly: whether that's in our books and research papers or our catalogues. However, in 'solving' the problems raised by colonial archives and collections, are we creating new problems for ourselves and for future generations? Can the archive actually be decolonised?