Within Burton's work, readers find foreign influence. Much like earlier works read this semester, these foreign groups possess a different approach to the profession.
One particular group that spurred interest was the Uzbek archivists. With the changes in alphabet, archivists rightfully worried about future generations. With a switch in official alphabet, only those who go out of their way to learn the former language would work in the archives effectively. Others would simply be lost, not used to the old way and leave dissatisfied. This kind of situation is certainly foreign to United States historians who travel there, not used to the techniques and practices in other nations.
Some of these practices include the strict messages the stat tries to portray. The restriction on knowledge developed heavily after the breakup of the Soviet Union. With this, Uzbekistan used their archive as a source of power. The government used past records of an independent government as a source of pride and nationalistic feelings. These kinds of worries and uses show how an archive and it's nation interact, both relying upon each other for legitimacy in some cases.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with the worries about the Uzbek archives. As they become a symbol of power for the government, it changes what is available and the meaning of everything within. Just like monuments, archives have become objects that change with each generation, rather than a unified message.
ReplyDelete