Roelof Hol

What is Mutual Cultural Heritage : framework regarding nation and national identity
Definition
“ MCH we define as remnants of a past that the Dutch shared with others: buildings, archives, schipwrecks, museum object and immaterial heritage This might be heritage in other countries dating from the time of VOC (Dutch eats indies company) and the WIC (West Indian Company or from our colonial past in Asia, Africa and South-America
International archival aspects:
*since 70ties reports by Unesco, ICA, CITRA on shared memory, joint heritage
*1995 ICA: View of the archival community settling disputed archival claims

Countries involved Mutual Cultural Heritage

Conservation & preservation
Strengthening & training local capacities
Dissemination of knowledge
Enlarging the awareness of mutual history
Enlarging the accesability MCH-archives
Stimulating the research in MCH-archives
Targets MCH-program Mutual Cultural Heritage

Financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Each year: 2 M euro, 1 by the heritage institutions and 1 by the Dutch embassy in MCH-country
Relevant projectproposals by national or local institutions through embassies and heritage institutions
Heritageinstitutions: no direct money, expertise, manpower, training etc.
Finances Mutual Cultural Heritage

MCH-Program: Dutch institutions involved Program NA Program ICN ProgramRcE

Multilateral Projects: example Paleografie
Archival records written in Dutch from the 17th and 18th century: incomprehensible for local researchers
Inventorisation of problems and solutions on paleography and the Dutch language
Coöperation with archival and university institutions necessary
Mutual Cultural Heritage

MCH-Program: future
MCH-conference in November 2010: development international portal in cooperation with Dutch heritage Foundation
Lasting relationships between countries involved in the MCH-program but also broadenin g of the geographiccal scope
Main targets: lasting cooperation, durability preservation of archives and global accesability through digitzation
Mutual Cultural Heritage

Sharing Archives: nation and national identity in a global world: principles
Decolonisation: issues of transferring archives, returning archives
Administrative, historical, emotional reasons for debate
Report Unesco 1976: sharing memories, joint heritage,
ICA 1995; view of the archival community on settling disputed archival claims:
1. inalienability of archives
2. inalienability of provenance
3. the right of access
4. international coöperation
Code of ethics: art. 2

Sharing archives: nation and national identity in a global world: practical issues
History: differences between colonial countries regarding keeping the colonial records: over ther or @ home
Preservation issues: tropical situation
Quality process of seperation
Practical considerations: some Dutch examples
1. Seperation Kingdom of Belgium and The Netherlands
2. Returning occupied German territories after WW II
3. Private archive of refugee from Austrian-Hungary
Seperate actions on exchanges of historical documents or repatriation after WW II
Line of treaties prevailed

Sharing archives: nation and national identity in a global world: case study Indonesia
Historical background: Landsarchief around 1880
Historical background: independance 1945-1949
Process of separation: difficult
Phase I: returning material
Phase II: preservation, microfilming, accessability
Cooperation Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia and Nationaal Archief: microfilming, training archivists
Historical material colonial period: about 10 km
Conclusions: archivistic principles and innterests of researchers prevailed, continuous cooperation (TANAP, MCH)

Sharing archives; nation and national identity in a global world: case study Suriname
Historical background: no specific archival building in 19th century
Endangered archives: transfer of archives to the Netherlands in 1916 and later years
Agreement on returning the archives in 1916
Conditions: housing according to standard, trained staff
Program returning Archives: 3.8M Euros, 7 years, ca. 800 meters
Phase 1; conservation and preservation of damaged material
Phase 2; Digitization of all the archives that are returned
Conclusions: no principle issue on returning archives, prevailing interests of researchers as well as in Suriname as in The Netherlands

Sharing archives: nation and national identity in a global world: fuutre developments and possibilities
Dutch Antilles: dissolution of the Dutch Antilles and archival issues
Policy Nationaal Archief: continuity existing plans
Solutions to possible issues: digitization
Sensible to emotional values relevant to national identity
Mutual heritage: just heritage?
Thank you for your attention
Questions?

New Nationaal Archief Suriname

http://www.vvbad.be	12
http://vvbad.wieni.be	9
http://oud.vvbad.be	2

Roelof Hol

by Vlaamse Vereniging voor Bibliotheek, Archief & Documentatie vzw on Sep 16, 2010

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Roelof Hol — Presentation Transcript