Political power and politics: selecting, creating, and preserving liberation movement archives in South Africa
ISSN: 2514-9326
Article publication date: 23 October 2023
Issue publication date: 9 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to assess the role of political power and politics in selecting, creating and preserving Liberation Movement archives in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of literature focusing on liberations archives was carried out.
Findings
Politics and the associated power play an essential role in the selection, creation and preservation of liberation movement archives. The study found out that the African National Congress (ANC) selected the University of Fort Hare as the center to preserve liberation movements repatriated from all over the world to South Africa. The National Archives of South Africa did not play a role in the preservation of liberation movement archives. The study also noted that there existed an ineffective collaboration between the ANC and the National Archives of South Africa regarding the preservation of liberation movements archives.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on the liberation movement archives created by the ANC of South Africa only.
Social implications
The establishment of liberation archives may promote social cohesion.
Originality/value
The liberation movement archives are a part of the history of South Africa and present perspectives on the history of the liberation of South Africa. This study, which builds on the post-colonial scholarship on liberation movement archives, discussed the significance of liberation archives.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study was supported by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Science ( NIHSS) https://nihss.ac.za.
Citation
Netshakhuma, N.S. (2023), "Political power and politics: selecting, creating, and preserving liberation movement archives in South Africa", Collection and Curation, Vol. 42 No. 4, pp. 148-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/CC-05-2023-0019
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited