16919 - Modern and Contemporary Archive Administration for Special Purposes

Learning outcomes

With the historiographical discussion on the one hand, the examination of specific situations on the other, at the end of the course the student reaches an advanced understanding of the problems of the discipline and receives adequate training on the technical-operational side

Course contents

This course in Modern and Contemporary Special Archival Science offers an advanced curriculum structured into two interconnected thematic areas.

The first module, "The Archives of Power", investigates the transformations and structural principles of archives produced by governmental institutions from the modern to the contemporary era. Through a case study of documentation from Ravenna, it will provide an in-depth analysis of the documentary sediment left by political-administrative bodies, in order to understand the methods of memory preservation and the impact of decision-making processes. 🏛️

The second module, "The Archives of Others", introduces an innovative comparative historical-archival analysis, creating a dialectical dialogue between the Chinese and United States archival systems. It will examine the profound epistemological, cultural, and methodological divergences that define these two paradigms of documentary memory management. The final objective is to provide students with the conceptual and critical tools to deconstruct a Eurocentric perspective, thereby acquiring a global and complex understanding of the diverse ways historical memory is preserved and interpreted. 🌐

Readings/Bibliography

General introduction

Isabella Zanni Rosiello, Gli archivi tra passato e presente, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005, pp. 7-121

Stefano Vitali, Di angeli, di paperi e di conigli, ovvero dello strano mestiere dell'archivista in “Archivi per la storia”, 2001, pp. 179-187

Archivistica. Teorie, metodi, pratiche, a cura di Maria Guercio e Linda Giuva, Roma, Carocci, 2014, in particolare i saggi: Paola Carucci, L’Ordinamento, pp. 137-177; Stefano Vitali, La descrizione archivistica al tempo degli standard e dei sistemi informatici, pp. 179-210. 

Teaching methods

Lectures and visits at the Ravenna State Archives (Ravenna), the Teatro delle Albe Archive (Ravenna) and other archival institutes in Bologna and Ravenna.

Assessment methods

Oral interview and preparation of a written report on the activities carried out in the archive (to be delivered one week before the exam). The knowledge of the topics discussed during the lessons and of the recommended bibliography, the understanding of the use of research tools and the critical and methodological skills developed by the students will be evaluated.

Teaching tools

Slides and sheets of theoretical and institutional history analysis, examples of digitized documentation and inventory tools will also be analyzed during the lessons to deepen their use for research and interpretation of sources.

Other cultural products such as films, video games, and novels will also be considered to analyze the diffusion of archival categories, discussed in class, within popular culture.

During visits to the archives, the original documents will be analyzed directly.

Office hours

See the website of Dario Taraborrelli