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Archives, the Digital Turn, and Governance in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2019

Fabienne Chamelot ,
Vincent Hiribarren  and
Marie Rodet
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Abstract:

With the rise of information technology, an increasing proportion of public African archives are being digitized and made accessible on the internet. The same is being done to a certain extent with private archives too. As much as the new technologies are raising enthusiasm, they have prompted discussion among researchers and archivists, on subjects ranging from matters of intellectual property to sovereignty and governance. Digital archiving disrupts archival norms and practices, opening up a field of reflection relatively little explored by historians. This article therefore seeks to reflect on the digital turn of African archives as a subject for study in its own right, located at the crossroads of political and economic interests.

Résumé:

Avec l’essor des technologies de l’information, de plus en plus d’archives africaines publiques (et dans une certaine mesure privées) sont numérisées et rendues accessibles sur Internet. Même si ces nouvelles technologies suscitent l’enthousiasme, elles génèrent également des discussions entre chercheurs et archivistes, qui vont de la propriété intellectuelle à la souveraineté en passant par la gouvernance. L’archivage numérique perturbe les normes et les pratiques archivistiques et conséquemment ouvre un champ de réflexion relativement peu exploré par les historiens. Cet article cherche à offrir une réflexion sur le virage numérique pris par les archives africaines en le considérant comme un objet d’étude à part entière situé au carrefour d’intérêts politiques et économiques.

Type
Archives and the Digital Turn
Information
History in Africa , Volume 47 , June 2020 , pp. 101 - 118
Copyright
© African Studies Association 2019

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