Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Identity Construction In Documentary Appraisal: Conflict, Inclusion, And The "Collecting" Archive, Kimberly D. Anderson

Kimberly D. Anderson

Appraising archival material with the intent to document or represent a specific institution, community, or other entity involves identity construction on the part of the archivist. In order to judge records as representative or part of a given entity, the archivist must have a concept of the boundaries of the given entity’s identity and whether or not the proposed records fall within these boundaries. In order to determine boundary, identity must be constructed and reinforced by the archivist. Four primary identity constructions are proposed: Accepted by All, Self-Identified/All-Else Excluded, Insider Accepted/Outsider Excluded, Outsider Accepted/Insider Excluded. Archivists should be aware and …