Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Activating the archive: rethinking the role of traditional archives for local activist projects

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archival Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article explores the way archival material has the potential to become a core component of activism, through an evaluation of an AHRC-funded collaborative research project on the histories and futures of local food in Liverpool. “Memories of Mr Seel’s Garden: exploring past and future food systems in Liverpool” is a collaboration between four academics, two arts/heritage professionals and three community groups, around the theme of local food. The community groups were brought together by their mutual interest in exploring how historical work might contribute to the developing local food movement. The project aimed to undertake research into the history of local food systems, using three different methods: archival research, map research and oral history, in order to develop deeper understanding of food systems, both historically and geographically and to explore what this understanding might contribute to future community activism. The project examined whether undertaking the research changed participants’ awareness of the value of historical research (including the value of different methods); their understandings of the local environment and local food issues, or provided new perspectives on the possibility of future change and their role within it. In short, could historical research assist local activism? The article will describe the methods used and the research findings, which suggest that even “traditional” archival materials, neither created nor selected for activist purposes, have the potential to be valuable resources for activist projects, both for challenging simplistic activist narratives about the past and for empowering members of activist communities to develop new narratives for change and communicate these to wider society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. More details on these events are available from: “Eating in the Archives” https://news.liv.ac.uk/2012/05/10/eating-in-the-archives/ and project completion event http://www.mrseelsgarden.org/the-mr-seels-garden-project-show-and-tell/. Accessed 16 June 2014.

  2. See for example: https://twitter.com/theonejoshmoore/status/303625249373687808. Others can be found at https://storify.com/mhbastian/tweets-from-mr-seel-s-garden.

References

  • Adam B (1999) Industrial food for thought: timescapes of risk. Environ Values 8:219–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahde A, Smedberg H (2012) Measuring the magic: assessment in the special collections and archives classroom. RBM J Rare Books Manuscr Cult Herit 13(2):152–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Bastian M, Buchanan A, Downie F, Hale A, Moore N, Speed F (2014) Memories of Mr Seel’s Garden: engaging with historic and future food systems in Liverpool. http://www.mrseelsgarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CC-Discussion-Paper-Mr-Seels-Garden.pdf. Accessed 04 April 2015

  • Baxter G, Johnson I, Williams D (2002) Impact evaluation of museums, archives and libraries: available evidence project. Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. http://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/imreport.pdf

  • Billen G, Barles S, Chatzimpiros P, Garnier J (2012) Grain, meat and vegetables to feed Paris: where did and do they come from? Localising Paris food supply areas from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. Reg Environ Change 12(2):325–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bramall R (2011) Dig for victory! Anti-consumerism, austerity and new historical subjectivities. Subjectivity 4(1):68–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan A (2011) Strangely unfamiliar: ideas of the archive from outside the discipline. In: Hill J (ed) The future of archives and recordkeeping: a reader. Facet, London, pp 37–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Carolan M (2011) Embodied food politics. Ashgate, Aldershot

    Google Scholar 

  • Chappell M, LaValle L (2011) Food security and biodiversity: can we have both? An agroecological analysis. Agric Hum Values 28:3–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conway P (1986) Facts and Frameworks: An Approach to Studying the Users of Archives. American Archivist 49(4):393–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cvetkovich A (2003) An archive of feelings: trauma, sexuality, and lesbian public cultures. Duke University Press, Durham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels M, Yakel E (2013) Uncovering impact: the influence of archives on student learning. J Acad Librariansh 39(5):414–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Figueiredo P (2011) Liverpool Waters heritage impact assessment. Assessment of potential effects on the Liverpool World Heritage Site. Peel Holdings, no place of publication

  • DeLind LB (2006) Of bodies, place, and culture: re-situating local food. J Agric Environ Ethics 19:121–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLind LB, Bingen J (2008) Place and civic culture: re-thinking the context for local agriculture. J Agric Environ Ethics 21:127–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duff WM, Cherry JM (2008) Archival orientation for undergraduate students: an exploratory study of impact. Am Arch 71(2):499–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duff WM, Johnson CA (2002) Accidentally found on purpose: information-seeking behavior of historians in archives. Libr Q 72(4):472–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Duff WM, Monks-Leeson E, Galey A (2012) Contexts built and found: a pilot study on the process of archival meaning-making. Arch Sci 12(1):69–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin J, Jasper JM, Polletta F (eds) (2001) Passionate politics: emotions and social movements. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Guitart D, Pickering C et al (2012) Past results and future directions in urban community gardens research. Urban For Urban Green 11(4):364–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hegnes AW (2007) Understanding the temporal ambiguity of local foods through “polytemporality”: the case of Norwegian gamalost fra vik (old cheese). Anthropology of food S2 http://aof.revues.org/458

  • Heldke L (2006) The unexamined meal is not worth eating, or why and how philosophers (might/could) study food. Food Cult Soc 9:201–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtzman JD (2006) Food and memory. Annu Rev Anthropol 35:361–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins R (2008) The transition handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience. Green Books, Totnes

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan DM (2012) The philosophy of food. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Kierans C, Haeney J (2010) The ‘Social Life’ of Scouse: Understanding Contemporary Liverpool through Changing Food Practices. Cult Sociol 4(1):101–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause MG (2010a) Undergraduates in the archives: using an assessment rubric to measure learning. Am Arch 73(2):507–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause MG (2010b) “It makes history alive for them”: the role of archivists and special collections librarians in instructing undergraduates. J Acad Librariansh 36(5):401–411  

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee PJ (2005) Putting Principles into Practice: Understanding History. In: Donovan MS, Bransford JD (eds) How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom. National Academies Press, Washington, DC pp 31–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Leinhardt G, Stainton C, Virji SM, Odoroff E (1994) Learning to reason in history: mindlessness to mindfulness. In: Carretero M, Voss JF (eds) Cognitive and instructional processes in history and the social sciences. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, pp 135–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Linkman A (1981) The Manchester studies archive retrieval project. J Soc Arch 6(7):414–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linkman A, Williams B (1979) Recovering the people’s past: the archive rescue programme of Manchester studies. Hist Workshop J 8(1):111–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowenthal D (2004) Dilemmas and delights of learning history. In: Stearns PN, Seixas P, Wineburg S (eds) Learning history: national and international perspectives. New York University Press, New York, pp 63–82

    Google Scholar 

  • McCoy M (2010) The manuscript as question: teaching primary sources in the archives—the China Missions Project. Coll Res Libr 71(1):49–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Msallem S (2012) Tales from the archive: how do food researchers from different disciplines use archives. British Library: Social Science Blog. http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/socialscience/2012/12/tales-from-the-archive-how-do-food-researchers-from-different-disciplines-use-archives.html. Accessed 16 June 2014

  • Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (2008) Inspiring learning for all. http://www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk/toolstemplates/. Accessed 16 June 2014

  • National Archives and Records Administration (2012) What’s cooking Uncle Sam? Exhibition. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/whats-cooking/. Accessed 16 June 2014

  • Noon R (n.d.) Love Lane lives. http://www.lovelanelives.com/. Accessed 16 June 2014

  • Mr Seel’s Garden. http://www.mrseelsgarden.org Accessed 04 April 2015

  • Parkins W (2004) Out of time: fast subjects and slow living. Time Soc 13:363–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockenbach B (2011) Archives, undergraduates, and inquiry-based learning: case studies from Yale University Library. Am Arch 74(1):297–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosa A, Blanco F, Huertas JA (1998) Uses of historical knowledge: an exploration of the construction of professional identity in students of psychology. In: Carretero M, Voss JF (eds) Learning and reasoning in history. Woburn Press, London, pp 61–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Schellenberg T (1956) Modern archives. Principles and techniques. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

  • Schneider M (1997) Tempo diet: a consideration of food and the quality of life. Time Soc 6:85–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scottish Council on Archives (2011) The edible archive. http://www.scottisharchives.org.uk/discover/awareness/ediblearchive. Accessed 16 June 2014

  • Seixas P (1996) Conceptualizing the growth of historical understanding. In: Olson DR, Torrance N (eds) The handbook of education and human development. New models of learning, teaching and schooling. Blackwell, Cambridge, pp 765–783

    Google Scholar 

  • Seixas P (2004) Theorizing historical consciousness. University of Toronto Press, Toronto

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd E, Yeo G (2003) Managing records: a handbook of principles and practice. Facet, London

    Google Scholar 

  • State Records Western Australia (2011) “Eating the archives” exhibition http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/eta/. Accessed 04 April 2015

  • Stevens M, Flinn A, Shepherd E (2010) New frameworks for community engagement in the archive sector: from handing over to handing on. Int J Herit Stud 16(1–2):59–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton DE (2001) Remembrance of repasts: an anthropology of food and memory. Berg, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Toms EG, Duff W (2002) “I spent 1 ½ hours sifting through one large box…”: diaries as information behavior of the archives user: lessons learned. J Am Soc Inform Sci Technol 53(14):1232–1238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner B (2011) Embodied connections: sustainability, food systems and community gardens. Local Environ 16:509–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Drie J, van Boxtel C (2008) Historical reasoning: towards a framework for analyzing students reasoning about the past. Educ Psychol Rev 20(2):87–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Borries B (1997) Concepts of historical thinking and historical learning in the perspective of German students and teachers. Int J Educ Res 27(3):211–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DA, Wavell C, Baxter G, MacLennan A, Jobson D (2005) Implementing impact evaluation in professional practice: a study of support needs within the museum, archive and library sector. Int J Inf Manag 25(6):533–548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilschut A (2010) A forgotten key concept? Time in teaching and learning history. In: Paper presented at the 21st international congress of historical sciences, Amsterdam, 25 August 2010. www.academia.edu. Accessed 01 June 2014

  • Wineburg SS (1991) Historical problem solving: a study of the cognitive processes used in the evaluation of documentary and pictorial evidence. J Educ Psychol 83(1):73–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wineburg SS (2001) Historical thinking and other unnatural acts: charting the future of teaching the past. Temple, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  • Yakel E (2004) Information literacy for primary sources: creating a new paradigm for archival researcher education. OCLC Syst Serv 20(2):61–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yakel E, Torres DA (2003) AI: archival intelligence and user expertise. Am Arch 66(1):51–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yee S (2007) The Archive. In: Turkle S (ed) Evocative Objects: Things We Think With. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA and London pp 30–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeo G (2005) Understanding users and use: a market segmentation approach. J Soc Arch 26(1):25–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zinn H (1977) Secrecy, archives and the public interest. Midwest Arch 2(2):14–26

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/J006629/1). Please contact the authors if you are interested in accessing the supporting research materials. The authors would like to acknowledge with gratitude the financial support of the AHRC and, especially, to thank the whole Mr Seel's Garden research team for their contribution to the project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, University of Liverpool, 9-11 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK

    Alexandrina Buchanan

  2. Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Rm 3.16, Evolution House, West Port, Edinburgh, EH1 2LE, UK

    Michelle Bastian

Authors
  1. Alexandrina Buchanan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michelle Bastian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexandrina Buchanan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Buchanan, A., Bastian, M. Activating the archive: rethinking the role of traditional archives for local activist projects. Arch Sci 15, 429–451 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-015-9247-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-015-9247-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation