This thesis considers the assumptions and beliefs of the archival profession to reconceptualize how materiality is related to contextuality, and thereby reveal the “mind” within their material (or immaterial) form and reconnect records’ materiality with their archival value. Although materiality has received little critical consideration within the archival profession, the thesis proposes that the materiality of archival records is evidence of their contexts of creation and use through time, and that this idea, therefore, complements the postmodern contextualist turn in recent archival theory. An examination of how the materiality of records is treated in common archival practices reveals gaps between recent archival theory and current archival practice. The thesis concludes with suggestions for adjustments to archival practice to bring it into alignment with the goal of preserving those aspects of records which contribute to their archival value, and reconnecting mind with matter.

This thesis considers the assumptions and beliefs of the archival profession to reconceptualize how materiality is related to contextuality, and thereby reveal the “mind” within their material (or immaterial) form and reconnect records’ materiality with their archival value. Although materiality has received little critical consideration within the archival profession, the thesis proposes that the materiality of archival records is evidence of their contexts of creation and use through time, and that this idea, therefore, complements the postmodern contextualist turn in recent archival theory. An examination of how the materiality of records is treated in common archival practices reveals gaps between recent archival theory and current archival practice. The thesis concludes with suggestions for adjustments to archival practice to bring it into alignment with the goal of preserving those aspects of records which contribute to their archival value, and reconnecting mind with matter.

This thesis explores the significance of gender as an overlooked element of context in understanding the provenance of archival records. The relevance of gender to archival provenance is demonstrated through a case study analysis of the gendered contexts of record creation, use, and meaning. The analysis is grounded in an examination of the archival photographic and textual records of Mary Schäffer Warren, an amateur photographer, traveller, and explorer of the Canadian Rocky Mountains during the years 1888 and 1939. This thesis argues that gender is an important context in a record’s provenance providing nuanced understandings of socio-cultural relations and processes of record creation, use, and meaning. Gender as context further empowers the principle of provenance by more fully reflecting how and why records are created which accordingly allows archivists to appraise, acquire, and describe records in ways more sensitive to gender as a socio-cultural reality.

This thesis explores the significance of gender as an overlooked element of context in understanding the provenance of archival records. The relevance of gender to archival provenance is demonstrated through a case study analysis of the gendered contexts of record creation, use, and meaning. The analysis is grounded in an examination of the archival photographic and textual records of Mary Schäffer Warren, an amateur photographer, traveller, and explorer of the Canadian Rocky Mountains during the years 1888 and 1939. This thesis argues that gender is an important context in a record’s provenance providing nuanced understandings of socio-cultural relations and processes of record creation, use, and meaning. Gender as context further empowers the principle of provenance by more fully reflecting how and why records are created which accordingly allows archivists to appraise, acquire, and describe records in ways more sensitive to gender as a socio-cultural reality.

Community archives have developed in response to gaps in the documentary record and the real and perceived limitations of state-funded archives. These communities, whether defined by location, shared identity, or common interests, recognize the vital role of records in building collective memory and the importance of having access to their history. Informed by postmodern and postcolonial intellectual concerns, archivists have explored such themes and taken a greater interest in community archives as models of archiving that offer new opportunities and tools for capturing diversity and multiple perspectives on the past. This thesis traces the history of archival thought in relation to community by examining the dichotomy between community and mainstream archives. It explores the breakdown of the dichotomy, as exemplified in recent models of independent community archives and participatory archives. Case studies of the Boissevain Community Archives and Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre test the hypothesis that archivists stand to benefit from a historical perspective on community archives, one that takes into account the ongoing production of community and the role of archives, archivists, and community members in that production. Throughout, this thesis reaffirms the value of historical analysis in archival studies, arguing that it enriches understandings of the provenance of records created, maintained, and preserved by community. / October 2016

Public programming is a distinct component of archival professional practice, although it has not always been so. Academic public programming is an even relatively newer phenomenon, but is gaining momentum as university and college archives seek to align themselves with an emerging engagement-based instructional paradigm that now widely informs academia. Postmodern insights have challenged archivists to reconsider the traditional view of records as static objects, frozen in perpetuity, and instead understand them as part of a never ending dynamic process encompassing multiple narratives and meanings. Academic archives in particular have begun exploring ways in which they might engage students in a new learning environment - through a new type of public programming that emphasizes the archivists’ unique role in knowledge creation. Academic archivists have a unique opportunity to insert archives into the curriculum and facilitate student engagement and inquiry, while supporting the academic mission of their parent institution. This thesis will explore ways to insert university archives more fully into the teaching function of the university. The thesis will conceptualize how university archives could be included in an interdisciplinary program offered by such archives, or in conjunction with other departments and faculties, that is designed to enhance student learning through the development of critical thinking skills and knowledge creation.

Public programming is a distinct component of archival professional practice, although it has not always been so. Academic public programming is an even relatively newer phenomenon, but is gaining momentum as university and college archives seek to align themselves with an emerging engagement-based instructional paradigm that now widely informs academia. Postmodern insights have challenged archivists to reconsider the traditional view of records as static objects, frozen in perpetuity, and instead understand them as part of a never ending dynamic process encompassing multiple narratives and meanings. Academic archives in particular have begun exploring ways in which they might engage students in a new learning environment - through a new type of public programming that emphasizes the archivists’ unique role in knowledge creation. Academic archivists have a unique opportunity to insert archives into the curriculum and facilitate student engagement and inquiry, while supporting the academic mission of their parent institution. This thesis will explore ways to insert university archives more fully into the teaching function of the university. The thesis will conceptualize how university archives could be included in an interdisciplinary program offered by such archives, or in conjunction with other departments and faculties, that is designed to enhance student learning through the development of critical thinking skills and knowledge creation.

Personal archives are those created by individuals for their own individual needs and purposes. As a category of archive, personal archives are under-studied and under-represented in the archival literature. This dissertation seeks to fill some of the gaps identified by archival theorists by investigating the nature of personal archives and the application of foundational principles of archival theory to them. Focusing on the archives of a particular sub-set of creators, literary authors, I question both recent and persistent trends toward a psychological or character-based approach to personal archives, and call attention to the limitations of past and current interpretations of the principle of provenance (and its sub-principles, the principle of respect for original order and the principle of respect des fonds) as it is understood in relation and applied to writers’ archives. I argue that archival theory is too strongly oriented toward the creator of archives as referent rather than to the archive itself as referent, and propose the need for a stronger focus, both in theory and in practice, on the various individuals and processes that shape an archive. Finally, I call for more candid descriptive practices that better convey to researchers the complicated life histories of the archives they consult and that admit the degree to which archives are the self-conscious constructs of a variety of archival agents.

Personal archives are those created by individuals for their own individual needs and purposes. As a category of archive, personal archives are under-studied and under-represented in the archival literature. This dissertation seeks to fill some of the gaps identified by archival theorists by investigating the nature of personal archives and the application of foundational principles of archival theory to them. Focusing on the archives of a particular sub-set of creators, literary authors, I question both recent and persistent trends toward a psychological or character-based approach to personal archives, and call attention to the limitations of past and current interpretations of the principle of provenance (and its sub-principles, the principle of respect for original order and the principle of respect des fonds) as it is understood in relation and applied to writers’ archives. I argue that archival theory is too strongly oriented toward the creator of archives as referent rather than to the archive itself as referent, and propose the need for a stronger focus, both in theory and in practice, on the various individuals and processes that shape an archive. Finally, I call for more candid descriptive practices that better convey to researchers the complicated life histories of the archives they consult and that admit the degree to which archives are the self-conscious constructs of a variety of archival agents.

Absent provenance or any background information, and with both implicit and explicit barriers to access within the archival space, how can we hypothesize—or critically fabulate—queer material legacies? The first—or earliest extant—American film to explicitly depict “queer” sex is The Surprise of a Knight (1929). By synthesizing perspectives on archives, material culture, queer identity, film, the Internet and pornography, this paper treats Surprise as an entry point into a discussion of public history and sexuality—revealing current issues with processing erotic materials and their impact on queer historiographies. This study outlines the problems presented by Surprise and explores contingencies for historical contextualization—methods public historians (archivists and interpreters alike) may adapt to fit similar materials within a broader history of film and queer identity. It explores current methods and future conundrums for best practices in the preservation of (born-digital) pornography, and concludes with impressions from potential audiences and present-day content producers as a means of envisioning new avenues of queer grassroots history-making. / History