Archives and Human Rights
London; New York: Routledge (2021), xxi, 330 pp.
"Why and how can records serve as evidence of human rights violations, in particular crimes against humanity, and help the fight against impunity? Archives and Human Rights shows the close relationship between archives and human rights and discusses the emergence, at the international level, of the principles of the right to truth, justice and reparation. Through a historical overview and topical case studies from different regions of the world the book discusses how records can concretely support these principles. The current examples also demonstrate how the perception of the role of the archivist has undergone a metamorphosis in recent decades, towards the idea that archivists can and must play an active role in defending basic human rights, first and foremost by enabling access to documentation on human rights violations. Confronting painful memories of the past is a way to make the ghosts disappear and begin building a brighter, more serene future. The establishment of international justice mechanisms and the creation of truth commissions are important elements of this process. The healing begins with the acknowledgment that painful chapters are essential parts of history; archives then play a crucial role by providing evidence. This book is both a tool and an inspiration to use archives in defence of human rights." (Publisher description)
Introduction / Jens Boel, Perrine Canavaggio and Antonio González Quintana, 1
PART 1: ARCHIVES AND HUMAN RIGHTS: A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP / JENS BOEL, PERRINE CANAVAGGIO AND ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ QUINTANA, 9
1 Archives and Citizen Rights, 11
2 Records and Archives Documenting Gross Human Rights Violations, 21
3 Archives and Transitional Justice, 41
4 Archives and the Duty to Remember, 54
5 Archivists for Human Rights, 57
6 Archives and Human Rights Beyond Political Transitions, 63
PART 2: CASE STUDIES
1 Proof / Trudy Huskamp Peterson, 83
AFRICA
2 A Long Walk to Justice: Archives and the Truth and Reconciliation Process in South Africa / Graham Dominy, 115
3 Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission: Archives in the Pursuit of Truth / Adel Maïzi, 126
4 The Exploitation of the Archives of Hissène Habré's Political Police by the Extraordinary African Chambers [Chad] / Henri Thulliez, 138
5 The Gacaca Archive. Preserving the Memory of Post-Genocide Justice and Reconciliation in Rwanda / Peter Horsman, 152
ASIA
6 Memory Politics and Archives in Sino-Japanese Relations / Karl Gustafsson, 167
7 The Use of the Archives of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Documentation Centre of Cambodia by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia / Vincent de Wilde d'Estmael, 178
EUROPE
8 Spanish Military Documentation on the Civil War and the Dictatorship as an Instrument of Legal Reparations for the Victims of the Franco Regime / Henar Alonso Rodríguez, 191
9 The 'Centres of Remembrance' in Post-Communist Europe / José M. Faraldo, 204
10 A Legacy of the DDR: The Stasi Records Archive / Dagmar Hovestädt, 218
11 France and the Archives of the Algerian War / Gilles Manceron and Gilles Morin, 230
12 Truth, Memory and Reconciliation in Post-Communist Societies: The Romanian Experience and the Securitate Archives / Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu, 247
LATIN AMERICA
13 Archives for Memory and Justice in Colombia after the Peace Agreements / Ramón Alberch i Fugueras, 263
14 Utilisation of the Archives of the Peruvian Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (CVR) / Ruth Elena Borja Santa Cruz, 277
15 Archive, Truth and the Democratic Transition Process in Brazil / Aluf Alba Vilar Elias, 288
16 Archives for Truth and Justice in Argentina: the Search for the Missing Persons / Mariana Nazar, 296
17 Chronicle of a Backlash Foretold. Guatemala's National Police Archives, Lost and Found and Lost -- and Found? -- Again / Kirsten Weld, 309
Concluding Remarks / Jens Boel, Perrine Canavaggio and Antonio González Quintana, 320
PART 1: ARCHIVES AND HUMAN RIGHTS: A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP / JENS BOEL, PERRINE CANAVAGGIO AND ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ QUINTANA, 9
1 Archives and Citizen Rights, 11
2 Records and Archives Documenting Gross Human Rights Violations, 21
3 Archives and Transitional Justice, 41
4 Archives and the Duty to Remember, 54
5 Archivists for Human Rights, 57
6 Archives and Human Rights Beyond Political Transitions, 63
PART 2: CASE STUDIES
1 Proof / Trudy Huskamp Peterson, 83
AFRICA
2 A Long Walk to Justice: Archives and the Truth and Reconciliation Process in South Africa / Graham Dominy, 115
3 Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission: Archives in the Pursuit of Truth / Adel Maïzi, 126
4 The Exploitation of the Archives of Hissène Habré's Political Police by the Extraordinary African Chambers [Chad] / Henri Thulliez, 138
5 The Gacaca Archive. Preserving the Memory of Post-Genocide Justice and Reconciliation in Rwanda / Peter Horsman, 152
ASIA
6 Memory Politics and Archives in Sino-Japanese Relations / Karl Gustafsson, 167
7 The Use of the Archives of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Documentation Centre of Cambodia by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia / Vincent de Wilde d'Estmael, 178
EUROPE
8 Spanish Military Documentation on the Civil War and the Dictatorship as an Instrument of Legal Reparations for the Victims of the Franco Regime / Henar Alonso Rodríguez, 191
9 The 'Centres of Remembrance' in Post-Communist Europe / José M. Faraldo, 204
10 A Legacy of the DDR: The Stasi Records Archive / Dagmar Hovestädt, 218
11 France and the Archives of the Algerian War / Gilles Manceron and Gilles Morin, 230
12 Truth, Memory and Reconciliation in Post-Communist Societies: The Romanian Experience and the Securitate Archives / Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu, 247
LATIN AMERICA
13 Archives for Memory and Justice in Colombia after the Peace Agreements / Ramón Alberch i Fugueras, 263
14 Utilisation of the Archives of the Peruvian Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (CVR) / Ruth Elena Borja Santa Cruz, 277
15 Archive, Truth and the Democratic Transition Process in Brazil / Aluf Alba Vilar Elias, 288
16 Archives for Truth and Justice in Argentina: the Search for the Missing Persons / Mariana Nazar, 296
17 Chronicle of a Backlash Foretold. Guatemala's National Police Archives, Lost and Found and Lost -- and Found? -- Again / Kirsten Weld, 309
Concluding Remarks / Jens Boel, Perrine Canavaggio and Antonio González Quintana, 320
