E SHKUARA HISTORIKE NË TRAJTËN E SUVENIRËVE
HISTORIC MEMORY IN THE SHAPE OF SOUVENIRS

Summary/Abstract: The encounter with the events or prominent figures of national history through souvenirs, is a long-standing temptation that has flattered not only past-enthusiasts and collectors, but anyone who prefers personalized media as an approach to Herodotus' science. Historical documents are widely accessible and inclining towards their authentic format or reproductions, is motivated mostly by study interests or similar reasons of the nature of personal research. Meanwhile, the dividing line between these static conservators and mobile memory builders informalizes the communication of souvenir’s meaning: a representative unit of the documentary’s complex begins to be useful even in an interpersonal context. The practice of collecting prefabricated souvenirs enjoys popularity among all compatriots, especially among albanian citizens across the border and in the diaspora, regardless of their social status, as it gives shape to a physical and emotional connection of the owner with such an object, which primarily serves as bearer of historical momentums. In the epilogue of the past year, the General Directorate of Archives (DPA) took the initiative to produce souvenirs with images of the most important historical documents or figures, which are stored as priceless assets in menaged by Central State Archive (AQSH). The Act of Independence of Albania, the decrees, the royal decorations, the handicraft reproduction of the Codex, as well as other documents wich are symbols of the national heritage, are exhibited in the "Souvenir Corner" at the entrance of the Study Room of DPA. At the same time, any interested citizen can be informed online about the facilities and respective details. Moreover, in addition to promoting perpetuated archival values, this innovative practice at the local level also aims to generate a contribution for the state budget. Within this paper, the topic is first unfolded on a multidisciplinary theoretical basis, which combines in a detailed spectrum the field of history, archives, as well as anthropology, in order to identify the origin of souvenirs, as objects associated with a certain understanding . The treatment will take on a concrete character by devoting special space to the innovation "Donate history", which externalizes the documents under the administration of the AQSH, in order to share a common property, such as the historical past.

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