This thesis is an historical study of efforts which have taken place in English speaking
North America to preserve records bearing on women's experience. It has been
found that efforts have centered on two positions: separation from traditional archives and
reform of traditional archives. Approaches have varied and changed according to the
political ideology of the women's movement at different historical moments. In the
1930s, efforts were made to develop separate "Women's Archives" to complement the
records held by traditional archives. In the 1960s and 1970s, some feminists, primarily
radical and lesbian feminists aimed at the establishment of independent women-centered
archives that were separate from traditional archives and were operated according to
feminist principles. Other efforts by liberal feminists have concentrated on the reform of
traditional archives through the development of preferential acquisition policies for
records bearing on women's experience. In the 1980s and 1990s, while earlier efforts
continued, challenges of racism and classism have been made to traditional archives and
the women's archives movement by women of color and other minorities. Most recently,
feminist scholars have argued for the integration of women's history with that of men.
This has influenced a growing trend towards integration of women's records with those
of traditional archives.
The women's archives movement suggests that appraisal for acquisition in
traditional archives has discriminated against the records created by women. Although
archival theory and methodology of appraisal for acquisition are not inherently biased, in
practice acquisition of private records takes place in a haphazard manner according to the
value system of the ruling political ideology. Because of structural and societal
discrimination women have not been part of this ruling elite and interest in the
preservation of their records has been minimal. To ensure the preservation of women's
records archivists must develop national, systematic and comprehensive acquisition
strategies which acquire records from all spheres of human activity, improve intellectual
access to women's records, and recognize and respect efforts which have taken place
outside of traditional archives. The role of the archivist must be expanded to provide
consultation and outreach for creators of records bearing on women's experience and the
women-centered archives which preserve them. / Arts, Faculty of / Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/3439 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Earnshaw, Gabrielle Lili |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 5668707 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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