Passive keepers or active shapers: a comparative case study of four archival practitioners at the end of the nineteenth century
This paper takes up Terry Cooks idea that through their work, archivists are active shapers rather than passive keepers. In taking this idea further, this paper discusses a case study comparing the custodial history of two archival groups of East India Companies archives, the VOC and EIC Archives, during the second half of the nineteenth century, and how archival practitioners influenced their arrangement and description. Consideration is given on how archival practice (good and bad) and professional discussion contributed to the understanding of the importance of provenance and original order and the need for sound methodology for analysis of the records to precede arrangement and descriptions. The work undertaken by the archivists on the VOC Archives in the Netherlands in particular, took place at a time during the development of the landmark archival standard (The 1898 Dutch Manual). This study looks at how the arrangement of the VOC and EIC Archives reflects these contemporary theoretical discussions. The VOC Archives in the Netherlands were one of the first archival groups of business records to be arranged using the 1898 Dutch Manuals advice. At the same time, in England, those working on the EIC Archives in London understood the importance of custodial history and its influence on the arrangement of the EIC Archives. Through an analysis of the work of those involved in the arrangement and description of the VOC and EIC Archives, this paper argues that it is possible to see the emergence of fundamental archival principles such as the difference between physical arrangement and intellectual control, and the development of these ideas derived from discussions during the writing of the 1898 Dutch Manual and their translation into archival practice.
eic archives voc archives archives of the east india companies verenigde oost-indische compagnie (voc) east india company (eic) custodial history of archival records