Processing the Past

Contesting Authority in History and the Archives

Francis X. Blouin,Jr and William G. Rosenberg

Oxford Series on History and Archives

A unique approach to the relationships between archives and the formation of historical knowledge jointly conceptualized by an archivist and a historian
Develops a new understanding of the "archival divide" separating contemporary historical scholars and their former colleagues in the archival community
An essential work for scholars interested in understanding how archives really work, and for archivists interested in understanding current dimensions of historical scholarship
Addresses how the study of history has and will change with the development of new technology
Explains problems of access to archives and why they are likely to continue for conceptual, political, and technological reasons

Processing the Past

Contesting Authority in History and the Archives

Francis X. Blouin,Jr and William G. Rosenberg

Oxford Series on History and Archives

Description

Processing the Past explores the dramatic changes taking place in historical understanding and archival management and in the relations between historians and archivists. Written by an archivist and a historian, it shows how these changes have been brought on by new historical thinking, new conceptions of archives, changing notions of historical authority, modifications in archival practices, and new information technologies. The book situates archives as subjects rather than places of study and examines the increasingly problematic relationships between historical and archival work. The authors contend that though historians and archivists once occupied the same conceptual and methodological space, they have divided into two separate professions with distinct conceptual frameworks and understandings of the authorities that govern their work: historians now ask questions not easily answered by traditional documentation, and archivists confront the challenges of new technologies and increases in the amounts of material they process. Blouin and Rosenberg conclude by raising the question of what future historical archives might be like if historical scholars and archivists no longer understand each other.

Processing the Past

Contesting Authority in History and the Archives

Francis X. Blouin,Jr and William G. Rosenberg

Oxford Series on History and Archives

Introduction: On the Intersections of Archives and History
PART I: ARCHIVES, HISTORY, AND THE OPENING OF THE ARCHIVAL DIVIDE
Chapter 1 - Authoritative History and Authoritative Archives
Chapter 2 - The Turn Away from Historical Authority in the Archives
Chapter 3 - Archival Authorities and New Technologies
Chapter 4 - The Turn Away from Archival Authority in History
Chapter 5 - Archival Essentialism and the Archival Divide
PART II: PROCESSING THE PAST
Chapter 6 - The Social Memory Problem
Chapter 7 - Contested Archives, Contested Sources
Chapter 8 - The Archivist as Activist in the Production of (Historical) Knowledge
Chapter 9 - Rethinking Archival Politics: Trust, Truth, and the Law
Chapter 10 - Archives and the Cyberinfrastructure
Chapter 11 - Can Archives and History Reconnect: Bridging the Archival Divide
Index

Processing the Past

Contesting Authority in History and the Archives

Francis X. Blouin,Jr and William G. Rosenberg

Oxford Series on History and Archives

Author Information

Francis X. Blouin, Jr, Director of the Bentley Historical Library and Professor in the history department and School of Information, University of Michigan, USA, and William G. Rosenberg, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Michigan, USA

Francis X. Blouin Jr. is Director of the Bentley Historical Library and Professor in the History Department and School of Information at the University of Michigan. From 1984 to 2004 he led an effort to do a complete inventory of the archives of the Vatican. He has served on the board of the Council on Library and Information Resources. William G. Rosenberg is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Michigan. He has authored, co-authored, or edited some thirteen books on Russian and Soviet history. His interest in archival issues developed from his responsibilities as vice president for research of the American Historical Association. He has also served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and is a vice chair of the board of trustees of the European University at St. Petersburg.

Processing the Past

Contesting Authority in History and the Archives

Francis X. Blouin,Jr and William G. Rosenberg

Oxford Series on History and Archives

Reviews and Awards

Winner of the Society of American Archivists' Waldo Gifford Leland Award

"a challenging and stimulating book" - Valerie Johnson, Business Archives

"This is an important study focusing on historiography as it discusses how historical knowledge is shaped and managed. It is a must read for both historians and archivists." - Nuper Chaudhuri, American Historical Review