The weavers of memories (and 10)

VI. Results. Small weavings

[This post is the tenth and last of a series in which I will share a text entitled Los tejedores de memorias (“The weavers of memories”), which I produced as the final work for my master’s degree in Historical Archives and Memory at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota (Colombia). All posts can be viewed on my website, while the original text, complete with quotes and notes, can be downloaded here].

From the results developed on documents from the Library, Archive & Museum area of the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos Islands, a series of conclusions can be drawn which, for the purpose of presenting the results, are structured below as a decalogue of recommendations.

(1) Overcoming (self-)imposed limits

Understanding the archive as a different or, at least, broader space than its limited standard definition (generally plagued by stereotypes) is an essential first step in understanding any knowledge and memory management institution in general, and natural science archives in particular. The archive is not a space only “for historians”, nor a closed and passive one, nor one of retrospection and silence. At least, it should not necessarily be.

(2) Finding (or creating) a voice of its own

Once the stereotypes and limits are left behind, it is necessary to find a project of its own for the archive: an individual and independent initiative, a way of thinking and acting (and reflecting, and criticizing) that characterizes the space and links it to both its collection and its community.

(3) Always having the option of “weaving memories” on the table

While there are many potential paths for thought and action from an archive, the option of weaving memories should always be on the table. That process implies a very special and particular relationship with the managed documents and opens up numerous opportunities for discussion and reflection.

(4) Including rogue perspectives

Adding rebellious, critical and creative visions to the work of an archive is a healthy and always welcome breath of fresh air. These perspectives (which can be included as theoretical frameworks, methodological inputs, etc.) help to transform the spaces where knowledge and memories are managed into potential places of creation, subversion and change.

(5) Opening the doors to other epistemes and discourse

It is necessary to recognize the existence of a nuclear knowledge (hegemonic, dominant) and a peripheral knowledge (alternative, subaltern), and to analyze the reasons behind these structures and chains of decisions. Making these hierarchies and gaps visible opens doors and possibilities for “other” knowledge and narratives.

(6) Avoiding the fragmentation of memory

It is urgent to recognize the existence of a process of fragmentation of heritage and memory according to types of media and documentary characteristics, following the guidelines of the different disciplines of knowledge and memory. It is necessary to avoid it or, at least, to generate links that allow materials to interact, dialogue and tell their stories.

(7) Handling other media

While there are some materials that are dominant in libraries, archives and museums (books, photos, audio), it is necessary to include others, generally not considered as such.

(8) Including other channels

Within the hegemonic system, “authoritative” knowledge is produced through certain methods and distributed through certain channels, generally academic. It is advisable to consider the existence of other channels (for example, oral and performative) as valid conduits for the generation and transmission of knowledge and memories and for the construction of identities and histories.

(9) Inspiring

The work of knowledge and memory management spaces, especially if assumed from a critical perspective, as weavers of memories, allows us to glimpse new horizons. And it should pursue a central objective in any institution related to research and the construction of stories and narratives: to inspire. This inspiration implies not only new creations, but also revisions of old ones, or transformations of processes and products, approaching them from positions different from those already assumed.

(10) Replicating, sharing and interacting

Like the documents it manages and the memories it houses, the archive is not an isolated entity: it is part of a much larger fabric. Interacting with other spaces, sharing what has been done and what has been discovered (and the mistakes and failures) and designing processes that can be replicated, are elements to be taken into account when it comes to maintaining a sustainable archival work over time.

The ten recommendations above are far from exhaustive: in fact, each of them could give rise to one or more investigations, both theoretical and applied. However, they are intended to provide a starting point, at least for those archives that, like that of the Galapagos Islands, have been condemned to silence and passivity.

A starting point from which to think differently and seek other paths from which to construct different perspectives and histories.