Geerd De Ceulaerde (University of Antwerp)
In the contemporary landscape of memory institutions, engaging communities has become a focal point for diversifying archival practices and fostering inclusivity. Previous research about the challenges of institutional community-oriented archiving showed that while common practices may be able to diversify institutional collections, they will, however, inadvertently reinforce social boundaries by thickening community identity thereby creating exclusivity. An intercommunity-oriented model of cultural archiving was proposed instead. That model enables institutional community-oriented archival practices to transcend singular community interests and to foster intercommunity connection while simultaneously moving archival institutions beyond traditional and inward-oriented paradigms to become laboratories for intercommunity and intercultural recognition, meaning and memory. To implement this model in practice, several preconditions were identified (De Ceulaerde, 2024). However, in which arena will this have to take root?
Since 2004, the regional heritage policy in Flanders (Belgium) has employed a specific conceptualization of “cultural archiving” as the basis for its archival related policy. This concept has become well established among both policymakers and practitioners. Departing from the position that an intercommunity-oriented model of cultural archiving is imperative for archival institutions to become relevant beyond their prison walls (Jimerson, 2009) and to become transitional societal agents instead, this current research examines to what extent this model is compatible with the one currently employed in Flanders. Through a survey among museum and archives-professionals (June 2024) and through interviewing a sample of involved policymakers and institutional managers (conducted between August and October 2024) this research explores to what extent the arena in Flanders is hospitable to broadening or (re)orienting its understanding of ‘cultural(ly) archiving’. The findings provide insights, on the one hand, into the relationship between central policymakers and collection-managing institutions, and into the role(s) that these institutions are perceived to have within wider society, on the other.
The presentation will cover these aspects of this research: the development and further elaboration of the proposed model of ‘cultural archiving’, along with the conditions and preconditions identified to implement this model in practice; the methodology and the preliminary findings of this continuing research into the relationship between memory institutions and the state, and the power relations at play.