Q.1 What is an archive and what are its functions?
Explain with reference to any physical/digital archive of
your choice.
An archive is a systematically organized collection of historical documents, records, manuscripts,
photographs, films, or other materials preserved for their enduring value. Archives can be physical or
digital, maintained by governments, institutions, corporations, or individuals. They are not merely
repositories of the past but are actively involved in shaping historical understanding by determining what is
preserved and what is not.
The primary functions of an archive include preservation, cataloguing, access, and research facilitation.
Preservation ensures the longevity of records, while cataloguing enables the effective organization and
retrieval of information. Archives also serve as custodians of evidence, offering transparency and
accountability, especially in legal and administrative matters.
An excellent example of a digital archive is the "Indian Memory Project," which aims to trace the personal
histories and collective memory of the Indian subcontinent through photographs, letters, and narratives.
Curated by Anusha Yadav, it democratizes history by including family archives, thus providing insights into
lesser-known social histories. Unlike state archives that often reflect official narratives, this project includes
marginalized voices and alternative perspectives. It allows for user submissions, which enhances its
participatory nature, representing a digital intervention in the archival process.
Scholars like Jacques Derrida have argued in "Archive Fever" that archives are not neutral; they are sites of
power and control. Antoinette Burton also emphasizes the imperial biases in colonial archives, urging a re-
reading to uncover suppressed voices. Thus, the function of an archive is not just to preserve but to
construct and mediate historical narratives, which makes their study crucial in understanding power
dynamics and history-making.
Q.2 The archive is an institution that is produced by power. How does this affect the contexts in which
different kinds of historical narratives are produced?
Archives are not neutral repositories; they are products and instruments of power. As Michel Foucault
posited, archives are bound up with knowledge and power—what gets archived, how it is categorized, and
what remains excluded reflects the priorities and ideologies of the powerful. Thus, the construction of
historical narratives through archives is deeply political.
Colonial archives, for example, were often created to support the administrative, military, and ideological
goals of imperial rule. They emphasized governance, census data, land records, and legal documents that
helped control colonial subjects. The voices of the colonized were often filtered through the lens of colonial
officials. This shaped historical narratives that reinforced imperial ideology and justified domination.
In India, the National Archives of India (NAI) primarily contains state records—official correspondences,
legal cases, and bureaucratic reports. These tend to reflect the voice of the state rather than that of
subaltern populations. Scholar Ranajit Guha and the Subaltern Studies collective have highlighted how such
archives often silence or marginalize peasants, workers, women, and tribal communities.
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Furthermore, digital archives today, though more inclusive in potential, can replicate similar power
structures if not critically curated. The decision of what to digitize, what metadata to attach, and how to
make it accessible also involves power dynamics.
Therefore, the production of historical narratives is heavily influenced by the power-laden structures of
archives. It is essential to adopt critical archival practices, encouraging oral histories, community archives,
and participatory platforms to produce more inclusive historical accounts.
Q.3 What are Archives? How have archives historically been used as instruments of power and control?
Archives are curated collections of documents, records, photographs, and other materials deemed valuable
for preservation and future reference. They play a vital role in maintaining institutional memory, supporting
legal processes, and facilitating historical research. However, their role has not been purely benign.
Historically, archives have served as instruments of power and control. In colonial contexts, archives were
central to governance. British colonial authorities in India meticulously recorded land revenue data, criminal
records, census information, and administrative decisions. This bureaucratic exercise helped maintain
control over the colonized population. Bernard Cohn described this as part of the "colonial project of
knowledge," where classification and documentation were tools of domination.
Additionally, the act of archiving was selective—documents that didn’t serve state interests were often
discarded or never created. This created a skewed version of history. For instance, women’s voices, oral
traditions, and vernacular knowledge were largely absent from official archives. This reinforced patriarchal
and colonial narratives.
Archives were also used for surveillance. In the post-1857 rebellion era, British intelligence gathered
extensive data on Indian revolutionaries. These records served not just for prosecution but to construct a
narrative of the rebels as criminal or fanatical, delegitimizing their cause.
Even today, archives can be instruments of control. National security archives often withhold information
under secrecy laws. Hence, scholars like Arlette Farge and Michel-Rolph Trouillot advocate for reading
against the grain—questioning silences, absences, and biases within archival collections.
Q.4 What is an archive? Explain the relationship between archive, power, and the production of history.
An archive is a structured collection of records and documents preserved for their historical, legal, or
administrative value. Archives are central to the production of history, but their role is intertwined with the
dynamics of power.
Foucault's theory of power/knowledge is instrumental in understanding archives. According to him,
archives help determine what is knowable and hence govern historical knowledge. By selecting, organizing,
and preserving specific documents, archives shape the narratives historians can write.
This relationship becomes evident in colonial and postcolonial contexts. The British colonial administration
in India established vast archives for efficient governance, such as the India Office Records. However, these
archives largely represent the colonizer’s perspective, rendering indigenous voices peripheral.
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Jacques Derrida’s "Archive Fever" emphasizes that the authority to archive comes with the authority to
interpret history. This is evident in nationalist historiography, which often uses colonial archives to construct
a narrative of struggle and heroism, sometimes oversimplifying complex realities.
Community and grassroots archives offer a counterpoint. These archives, often led by marginalized
communities, collect oral histories, photographs, and personal documents. They help produce alternative
histories that challenge dominant narratives.
Thus, archives are not passive containers but active agents in history-making. Power decides what is
archived, and archives, in turn, shape the power to narrate history.
Q.5 Explain the role of the camera as a technology of colonial rule in India.
The camera, introduced in India during the colonial period, was not merely a tool of documentation but a
powerful instrument of rule. As scholars like Christopher Pinney and Nicholas Dirks have argued,
photography was used by the British to create visual evidence of their authority and the identities of their
subjects.
Photography served administrative and ethnographic purposes. It was employed to document
infrastructure, royal visits, and native rulers. Ethnographic photography, in particular, classified people into
racial and caste types. This was part of a larger colonial strategy to essentialize Indian identities, making
governance easier.
The "People of India" project, commissioned by Lord Canning in the 1860s, aimed to document India’s
diverse communities through photographs and descriptions. These visual records often emphasized
physical features, attire, and rituals to create a taxonomy of Indian society. These images were circulated in
Britain, reinforcing stereotypes about Indian primitiveness and justifying colonial rule as a civilizing mission.
The camera was also used in surveillance and policing. Photographs of criminals, rebels, and political
dissenters were maintained to track and control movements. This anticipates modern practices of biometric
surveillance.
However, the camera was later appropriated by Indian nationalists and reformers. Leaders like Gandhi used
photography to craft public personas and mobilize support. Thus, while the colonial state used the camera
for control, it eventually became a tool of resistance.
Q.6 Archives shape history through record selection and description. How can these practices be reformed
to include marginalized voices?
The selection and description of records in archives determine what is remembered and what is forgotten.
Traditional archival practices have often excluded marginalized voices—women, lower castes, indigenous
communities, LGBTQ+ individuals—due to systemic biases in what was considered worth preserving.
To reform archival practices, we must first acknowledge their inherent biases. Scholars like Michel-Rolph
Trouillot and Verne Harris argue that silences in archives are not accidental but produced. Recognizing this
opens the path for corrective measures.
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First, inclusive collection policies must be adopted. Archives should actively seek records from marginalized
communities—oral histories, community documents, zines, and digital media. Institutions like the Queer
Archives of India and the Dalit History Archive exemplify this approach by documenting voices often left out
of mainstream narratives.
Second, participatory archiving allows communities to control how their histories are recorded and shared.
This challenges traditional top-down models and fosters trust and authenticity.
Third, archival description must be inclusive. Metadata and categorization should avoid discriminatory
language and reflect the subjects' perspectives. Involving community members in cataloguing ensures
sensitivity and relevance.
Fourth, digital archives offer immense possibilities. Online platforms reduce physical barriers and allow for
multilingual, multimedia content. Projects like the "Digital South Asia Library" offer access to rare
documents and vernacular materials.
Ultimately, decolonizing the archive requires a shift in power—from the archivist to the community, from
the state to the people. By embracing diversity and democratization, archives can become spaces of
empowerment rather than exclusion.
