To what lengths the 'Physical and Moral Defence of the Record' in times of conflict and exigency?

摘要

Hilary Jenkinson, Ernst Posner and other archivists in Europe and the US played key and often parallel roles on different sides in the identification and strategic securing of records in Europe during the Second World War. This paper is concerned with the various ways in which archivists, in times of conflict and other exigencies, view and act upon their responsibility to the 'physical and moral defence of the record.' Drawing from the author's ethnographic research, it first briefly reflects on the personal positioning and professional agency of archivists during the Yugoslav Wars and amid today's continuing ethnic and nationalist politics. It then uses archival sources to examine how these Second World War archivists positioned themselves with regard to their physical and moral obligations to the records, the call of their nations, and their personal circumstances and politics. Finally, it contemplates how these historical examples might help the field to prepare archivists for the realities of acting and advocating on behalf of records, archives and their constituents in situations of conflict and exigency around the globe.