FROM ARCHIVE TO HISTORY
FROM ARCHIVE TO HISTORY

Summary/Abstract: Archival research is a core element of historical studies. In the past ten years, I have visited and collected documents in eighteen archives throughout Europe and the United States. Based on these experiences during the past years, I created and taught “Archives and Society”, a course for master’s and doctoral students at the University of Bern. In addition to practical preparations for archival visits and conducting research on-site, the social role of archives and the following questions were discussed intensively: What tasks do archives perform in our society? What are their aims, duties and where do their limits lie regarding preservation and accessibility of archival material? Furthermore, how do archives depend on the national context in which they are located? And how does one prepare their own visit to the archive? This class attracted wide interest, because in a time of reviving nationalist trends, open access to archives is an important part of maintaining democracy and democratic standards.

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