Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti1
ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY
Abstract
Purpose: Archives interfaces are among the critical nodes in which archival systems 
and negotiate as well as exercise power over the representation and constitution of 
archives. In this paper, the concept related with archives in shaping collective memory 
interfaces and critical nodes represent archives which shows constrain as well as in-
terpretation for the past. The emphasis is on the role of archives in shaping collective 
memory. Methods: The archives in order to shape the collective memory considers 
physical, computer systems and technological archives that are tangible set of struc-
tures along with tools that consider memory in archival documents in the context and 
offers neutral systems. Approach: There is growing literature based on collective or 
social memory for which archives have been focus on to change the preservation and 
production documents which changes media record and nature for documented ideas 
and present documenting for necessary changes on account of management practic-
es as well as archives in order to determine the respective practices. In this regard, 
archival interfaces are connected with objective procedure and determine the major 
legitimate evidences associated with the past and make the social memories. Finding: 
There is a major role played by the computer archives have interfaces that have in-
creased common user mode of interaction and manage the archive demands confront 
with the interpretative work nature as well as exploit the opportunities that are ev-
ident in visible construct for shaping collective memory. This shows that national ar-
chives have naturalized power and it is different as per the post-apartheid situations. 
The overall emphasis of this paper is to assess the role of archives in shaping collective 
memory with focus on the physical structures along with technologically mediated 
structures and tools in respective context.
Keywords: archives, memory, archival systems, digital records, representation, techno-
logical archives and interfaces
1 PhD student at ALMA MATER EUROPAEA, Records and Archives specialist at National Records & Archives 
Authority
42 ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti
1. INTRODUCTION
Archives are the records for memory collection, which has diverse range of academic 
discipline, and have professional pursuit. The terms actually have connection with so-
cial values and flashpoints that consider cultural identities and institutional sort of ac-
countability (Bastian et al, 2009). The archives are the memory record, which considers 
the secure vaults associated with power. Archivists have actually viewed the profes-
sional changes and hewers, which make the received records by the creators and have 
passed to the researchers. The professional archivists actually perceive them as a major 
object, neutral as well as impartial details. The perspectives engage with materials and 
are quite antithesis in terms of power (Jacobsen et al, 2013). Certainly there are writ-
ing based on cultural connections that seldom touch the major impact on archives and 
records for collective memory and has human identity which makes emphasis on the 
human activity, unlike there are roles of new accorded and manage the human as well 
as natural historical art galleries, museums, libraries and historical monuments along 
with zoos. The writers consider ‘the archives’ associated with philosophical and meta-
phorical sense which actually has rudimentary understanding connected with profes-
sional theories and methodologies as well as practices (Folkerts, 2011). The archive 
makes the professional records and memory to be collective on writing with associated 
with archivists.
The modern planner and systems designers have interfaces, which serve as an integral 
component for memory to record with subsystems and get efficient and rational sys-
tems. The best-designed approach and interfaces are visible and also user is neutral in 
terms of constraint activities and inconspicuous practices are common among the interi-
or and exterior of the modern design of buildings (Jimerson, 2003). However, the door-
way associated with the wheelchair apparatus actually closes with obstacle interface, 
which converse with the interface in shaping collective memory. The design interfaces 
and physical structures along with virtual creations have power for the system that ac-
tually has to do with the collective memory. 
The archivists emphasize on the power exercised consciously or unconsciously with doc-
umentations and represented archives, which have the access on them for potential 
document usage and have focus on the documentary evidences to connect with tangi-
ble set of structures that actually have provided with the tool which is of great signifi-
cance in terms of the computer screen mediated ideas. 
2. CONSTRUCTING AND DECONSTRUCTING ARCHIVES TO SHAPE COLLECTIVE 
MEMORY
Archives are known as social constructs and they shape in collective memory for which 
their origin depends more on the social values and information needs of the govern-
ments, rulers, associations, businesses along with individuals required to maintain their 
personal needs.. However, there are cases when no memory has possible option for 
framework based on the living society, which is connected to retrieve the information 
and shape the recollections because of archives which is among a critical social intellec-
tual element to make frameworks based on to have shaped collective memory. 
Furthermore, there are cases when living in a society actually determines and retrieves 
the recollections. Archives are a major critical element in terms of social intellectual 
frameworks, which have past the historical research along with archival records, which 
do not retrieve the stored information and out together in terms of the claim that shapes 
the understanding and is a part of the claim in order to share respective understandings 
(Roediger et al, 2009). 
43ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti
The principles along with strategies set as per archivists to adapt the activists and make 
sure there are changes used which appraise and also are destroyed or connected with 
the character composition (Sinn, 2012). This actually engages with the resultant ‘ar-
chive’ and shows serious consequence towards administrative accountability, collective 
memory, citizen rights and the historical knowledge is shaped and also unconsciously 
memory is profound with tacit ideas and also subtly there are archives associated with 
the archives power (Cook, 2013). 
However, the ‘archive’ shows major increase in the resurgence that makes the popular 
connotation on ground of old parchments and basements, which are in cultural studies. 
There are associations of central metaphorical construct because of human knowledge 
perspective and memory as well as power associated with the quest for the justice (Sil-
va, 2013). 
This makes authors to reflect and determine the principles, nature, practices along with 
institutions and record documents that have been set across the stable situation. 
3. COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND ARCHIVAL TRUTH
There are efforts made to demonstrate the ‘contractedness’’ for the archive necessarily 
and manages issues which focus on archives neutral records as there are innocent as 
well as archivists objectives to implicitly confront the notions and engage with ‘archival 
science’ associated with views for science that majorly shows change over the recent 
decades (Piggot, 2014). The question is evident that supposedly neutrality along with 
objectivity has endeavor with the society. This makes ‘archives’ as a ‘science’ and pre-
clude with social construct and memory collection as scientific which actually is in pure 
science nature and actually is demythologized. 
The conceptualization evolved with the ‘objectivity’ shows major increase in the situat-
ed knowledge while partial perspective which makes scholars profession to be more 
focused and engage with contextual careful state, which recognizes the partial per-
spective along with archivists to engage with deeper context as the exceptional num-
ber, is growing rapidly (Bastian, 2014). 
The complexity increases in society, which makes communication along with the re-
quirements of information to actually have recordkeeping practices, which consider the 
archives to have collective memory and change the institutions. The perceptions show 
the changes actually lagged behind and have major consequences for changes in order 
to assess the past situation as memory collections have actually focus on the set to cre-
ate records.
4. THE POWER OF ARCHIVE IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY
An archive eventually focuses on the system of control, which depends more on the so-
ciety’s mechanism and allows them to exist. This shows existence for the archive in so-
ciety to shape collective memory influence the identity of the society. Moreover, there 
is use of photography as a way to archive memory since its invention in the 19th century 
(Hoskins, 2009). 
The society actually puts in terms of the mechanism for surveillance and actually gener-
ates the human society level, which makes knowledge management systems, and tech-
nologies which makes archives and show collective memory. The collective memory 
archives have many sectors and engaged with institutions and governed with societal 
changes and takes control on the perceived with mirror of reality that is ill mannered 
and images have further references.
44 ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti
Archives in terms of memory collection is intersection for past, present as well as future 
interfaces (Decker, 2014). 
The designed party emphasizes on the organic procedure and reinforces professional 
objectivity and neutrality, which has inclination, and simple exercise power for iden-
tity over memory as it makes power to be used in effective manner. These issues have 
actually been connected with emphasis on the authors and power exercises which em-
phasize on the thematic issues and also there is power exercised which shows collective 
memory in respective society (Dudman, 2019).
There are electronic power shows archives to shape collective memory and offer access 
since the record amplifies archives with traditional power and mediates access towards 
the given record. The descriptive system architecture and practices with selection at 
various levels have online access which makes the archives role in memory collection 
to be set with the virtual exhibitions and engage with virtual production and is well-
known for the preserved. The conscious or not archivists play a huge role to technically 
engage and build the identity notions, which are justified by the historical documents 
and validate with ‘evidence’ along with identity (Caswell, 2016). The relationships ac-
tually are common in terms of cultural contexts while the common concerns of pow-
er over the collective memory have made crisis to be dealt with variety of subaltern 
groups and take decisions when emphasis is more on viable, cohesive and also identity. 
5. THE VALUE OFARCHIVE MEMORY RE-COLLECTION 
The decisions associated with the archiving are worthy to be the major initial step when 
it comes to assessment of the first value-driven practice that focuses on accessioning, 
surveying, assignment of metadata, arrangement, cataloging along with preservation 
before the materials are readily available to the users (Thelin, 2011). 
The examples below finely illustrate such kinds of relationships:
The situation that considers Kven and Sámi peoples in northern Norway were actually 
relegated with anonymity in the Norwegian National Archive. There were hundreds of 
records that actually are not cataloged or labelled due to Norwegian languages. The 
collections stayed unprocessed unless the projects such as National Minorities in Public 
Records processed certain documents listed in Sámi as well as Kven languages in order 
to restore the visibility and process the Norwegian national history (Sabiescu, 2020).
As indicated by the South African government when continued with transition by 
opacity towards transparency in terms of State Archive Service (SAS) and continue 
to engage with the historical nationalist and set records (Cifor, 2016). There are con-
trolled aspects for citizens that have actually set the classification which makes em-
ployment along with surveillance and association with property. There are permeat-
ed for aspects that have facilitated knowledge and also SAS archivists show impartial 
records. This makes knowledge facilitation to be permeated with the many aspects 
of knowledge facilitation. This is associated with the SAS archivists to engage with 
impartial record keeping and know about the complex model evolution for South Af-
rican profession in archival modes.
After re-examination and acquisition for the policy is required. One of the major report-
ed conflicts by The University of Michigan there are religion connected with the white 
Protestant regarding denominations. Once the re-examination of the Collection engag-
es with churches with the Detroit area and gathers the church records. The successful 
library engages with acquisition policy made with resultant collection to be reflective 
and diverse religious communities with the actual population (Feng, 2017).  The FWP 
45ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti
Collection engages with former slaves that actually engage with oral history which has 
critical reexamination for the online presence: a broad emphasis is on the cultural along 
with material knowledge in terms of narratives and finally thinks the marginalized 
designation for eye witness has lived the accountability with folk history as it connects 
with American slavery.
6. MOTIVATIONS BEHIND ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY
The motivations among the Collection are actually multi-layered and problematic. This 
makes American slavery to theoretically be for more than 71 years. The climate is evi-
denced to have racism and de facto segregation is common among the permeated fa-
mous culture as well as the academy (Neiger et al, 2011).
There are cases when slave narratives have observed with prominent reaction in South-
ern defense slavery and also make sure latter-day slave narrative engaged with stim-
ulated dominant attitude and engage with slave regime as the prevailed first quarter 
for 20th century. This reality is added with population and manages the survival slavery 
rapidly for around 1930s. There are documented life histories for the former enslaved 
individuals that show no originated value with the FWP. This makes huge number of 
oral archives as evident since 1928 when Ophelia Settle Egypt when working with the 
Charles S. Johnson which makes the research continuation with the employment goal 
and offers relief for graduate students engage with the happenings. 
Lomax formed detailed questionnaire which has interviewer’s instructions. There are 
black and white social dynamic for respective era. The interview text indicates gross 
discrepancies evident within language. This comprises of the interviewers and attempt 
with re-write individual responses for the Negro dialect version to compete re-writing 
for text and interpret for what is said. This makes majority of the interviewers to focus 
on southern whites that train the oral histories (Brown, 2013). However, oral histories 
archives with black interviewers were called for challenges to FWP when being unpro-
fessional. The polite responses are interpreted and resonate with master dynamics/for-
mer slave along with historians to label it as incongruous as it speaks with deep psycho-
logical scars and manage the on-going slave system victimization. 
According to Hirst et al (2012), The Office of Negro Affairs actually engaged with watch-
dog performance on the project to hire the Negro writers as headed on account of Ster-
ling Brown, poet and English Professor at Howard University.  There is a major concern 
when examining the provenance project with FWP’s delegation and administer branch-
es in the states. The oral history archives consider edited state level when federal office 
to include the final project. The assessment is quite compromised with the original texts.
7. CONCLUSION
Memory is known as history and is deeply rooted in the archives while without archives, 
the memory falters and the accomplishment knowledge fades when pride is common 
for shared past dissipates. Archives actually counter the losses. Archives have evidenc-
es, which have been the need of what is gone before specifically germane in the pres-
ent world. This engages with the story telling is not possible which allows archives as a 
foundation of historical understanding. Archives validate the perceptions, experiences, 
stories or narratives. Archives in terms of memories to be gone for the archives remain 
the remarkable with unknown and users archives (historians and others) along with ar-
chives shapers (records creators, archivists and records managers) and added meaning 
layers that is naturalized, unquestioned and internalized.
46 ARCHIVES IN SHAPING COLLECTIVE MEMORY Ameera Yahya Ahmed AL-Hooti
There is lack of questioning when the dangerous implicit support shows archival myth 
for neutrality and objectivity while the sanctions shows strong predilection of archives 
while archivists document the primary mainstream culture with powerful record crea-
tors. The privileges consider official narratives for the state over the private individual sto-
ries. There are ambient ways to see and know when original order is sought or quite well 
imposed for the different orders and disorders which flourishes among the archives. 
In conclusion, the archives for shaping collective memory actually accommodate the 
highly contingent value for the archival practice. 
Lastly, the archives when shaping collective memory have the interpretive aspects of 
presentation, appraisal as well as mediation, which make archivists to expose the inter-
pretive acts and manage the structure information at professional level. The focus of the 
archivists is to be quite power conscious and monitor future generations. The emphasis 
of users is to evaluate the reliability, authenticity and weight which is by documenta-
ry evidence and archivists can actually help the future needs which helps to assess the 
possible reason behind the survival of certain archives. Thus, archives consider certain 
concepts to build and the interface, which makes interpretive nature of archives that are 
building that, engages with the user interpretation evidences to study the way archives 
role is active to shape the collective memory with data of the users. 
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