Absence in the archives Ciara Breathnach

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Breathnach, Ciara, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in historical theory and practice

Cambridge elements. Elements in historical theory and practice 2634-8616

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Archives--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2026

Summary:

"Absence in official records can have profound implications for social memory, civil rights, restorative and transitional justice, citizenship, social welfare, and redress for historical abuse. Scholars of archivistics and early modern New World imperial contexts have uncovered the epistemological problems that archival silences pose for historical research, and I contend that absence deserves separate conceptual treatment. Archival absences, both permanent and temporary, have particular resonances for post-colonial countries, and is an ongoing threat under totalitarian regimes. Using Britain and Ireland as primary examples, this Element traces how absence took root in the domestic and subsequently the colonial archive, and how through legal mechanisms it became an accepted part of archival praxis. The aim of this Element is to raise awareness of archival absence in order to prevent more losses, particularly in the abundance of the digital age"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Situating absence

Tracing silence and absence

The island of Ireland : a case study of archival absence and its legacy

Absence and archives in the digital age

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed June 23, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Breathnach, Ciara Absence in the archives

ISBN:

9781009580069

100958006X

OCLC:

1591517984

Access Restriction:

Some versions Open access versions available from some providers open access