Voice: sonic geographies of childhood

This article uses the sonic geographies of childhood as an entry point into long-standing and important debates in the sub-discipline on ‘voice’. The article uniquely explores children’s voices from the past through considering a different type of research material – archival audio recordings. It argues that literally listening to past children’s voices (and noises, sounds and silences) can offer fresh insights into the concept of voice that tends to be associated with contemporary contexts. Drawing on archival encounters with ‘second hand’ field recordings of children across different schools and playgrounds in London in the 1960s, this article engages and extends wider theoretical debates about childhood, voice and memory. The article calls for more attention to the unique characteristics of sound and wider soundscapes of childhood. The article critically reflects on the possibilities and tensions associated with such work.     

Archives and care: Caring archival research practices in geography

Archival research has been long recognized as a key method in geography, and such research continues to appeal to scholars excavating historical influences on contemporary places. At the same time, geographical literature on care is growing rapidly. However, while geographers have often implemented care into their archival research and practice, these literatures have remained largely distinct from each other. In this paper, I bring archives and care into closer conversation. Drawing on existing geographical literature on care and on archival methods, work in archival studies, and my own research and ethnographic experiences in archives, I show how the socio-material practices of geographers in the archives help generate spaces of care, where ethical caring practices exist, and caring relationships flourish. I demonstrate how archival work in geography and beyond includes relationships of care between archivists, researchers, and archival records. I share some examples and strategies that geographers and other researchers can—and do—follow in maintaining, continuing, and repairing archival relationships, even in times of precarity and uncertainty.     

Kinetics of Stone Degradation of the Castle of Chambord in France

A multidisciplinary approach combining scientific and historical data is developed in order to identify the environmental factors that cause degradation of stones and to attempt to date the onset of degradation and assess the time needed for its development. The method is applied to the Castle of Chambord, a prestigious monument in the Loire Valley in France. The genesis of the two main types of degradation (spalling and flaking) and the kinetics of their development are identified and analysed. The correlation between the different mappings and iconographic documents reveal that flaking develops on any type of fine limestone and can appear less than 60 years after the stone is placed on the castle for Richemont limestone, and less than 10 years for tuffeau. The other main type of degradation, spalling, is limited to tuffeau, but it is more difficult to quantify the kinetics of its development.     

Russian Physicians in Harbin (1920-32)

This study analyzes medical practitioners’ adaptation to a dynamic cultural and political scene and examines the impact of medical refugees on a local community. In the early 1920s, there was an influential Russian medical community in Harbin that established medical societies and medical schools. The organization of medical societies was a part of the active formation of a professional community and represented a thoughtful measure for countering the control of Chinese officials. The high degree of cooperation between Russian and Chinese medical personnel in the medical-sanitary department of the Chinese Eastern Railway and in Harbin municipal medical facilities was a part of Harbin physicians’ activities.     

从造办处档案看雍正皇帝的审美情趣

本文依据雍正朝《造办处各作成做活计清档》的相关内容,梳理出雍正帝对工艺品所倡导的“文雅”“精细”的审美标准和要求,并结合传世文物进行了论证,同时对雍正帝的兴趣爱好、鉴赏水平进行了较为系统的论述,进而通过相关历史文献探讨雍正帝审美情趣形成的缘由及其影响。     

古代埃及的档案

公元前4000年代,古埃及人在尼罗河流域创造了光辉灿烂的化,发明了象形字,产生了用字记载下来的各种献记录,形成了埃及奴隶制国家最早的档案。古代埃及档案献的种类齐全,内容丰富。并设有专门的档案保管库,充分为埃及法老政府所利用,促进了古代埃及的化、艺术和科学技术的发展。     

THE EMPIRE OF THE FUTURE

This rich collection analyzes science in the archives over the past several thousand years. The chapters work together to tell stories of ambitious attempts to provide timeless data for science, which will be used for generations to come—ranging from ancient astronomy to geology to life‐logging and the development of web search. They also demonstrate convincingly that archives are powerful forces across the sciences—every science discussed has an archival base—which partly determine what kind of general knowledge claims can be made by future generations: it is hard to read an archive askance. The collection works best as a series of individual chapters, though some work is done to indicate where they speak to one another. It is a pity that there was not more input from archivists themselves in the project: their noninclusion means that some archival issues (especially what goes on with data after it gets into the archive—how it gets cleaned up, changed, reorganized) are treated somewhat lightly. The collection does provide a very useful set of tools for thinking about scientific archives. It is also an excellent introduction to the peculiarities of scientific archives—one that reflects back on the use of archives in history in general.     

Long-Term Preservation of Dendroarchaeological Specimens and In Situ Preservation: Problems and Practical Solutions

Abstract

Dendrochronology offers a unique opportunity to address archaeological questions with minimal invasiveness. Often, archaeological tree-ring sampling, and occasionally analysis itself, can be performed while the larger structure or object remains in situ. In comparison to the costs and benefits of excavation (complete or partial) and a growing international call for in situ preservation, dendrochronology provides an effective compromise for the interpretation of wooden material culture.

The current number of archaeological tree-ring specimens worldwide probably exceeds 2,000,000. These specimens have been obtained from thousands of historic buildings, shipwrecks, and other sites and artefacts. These specimens are housed by a variety of public and private entities: museums, universities, governments, private corporations, and individuals. Despite their importance as vouchers for archaeological dates and great potential for future use and new applications, generally little attention has been paid to the long-term curation of tree-ring specimens. This paper identifies some pressing curation problems and suggests that the value and nature of dendroarchaeological research is compatible with international calls for in situ preservation. Some practical suggestions, provided here, could drastically improve the long-term curation of dendroarchaeological specimens, further demonstrating the methodology as a viable and valuable partner to in situ preservation.     

Memory,forgetting and the reconciliation process

The descendants of Aboriginal people in Queensland during the colonisation process have access to an enormous store of documents regarding their ancestors. This store is accessible through application to the state and is often used in the procurement of land rights, state recognition and personal history narratives. The process of receiving mass information about the past is fraught with power dynamics and emotional distress. This paper explores how this process can be understood critically and how Aboriginal people are manipulating the system to reassert narratives of healing from a traumatic past.     

浅议民族地区档案管理人员素质

随着西部大开发、国家挟持藏区发展政策的进一步落实,档案事业在促进民族地区经济和社会文化发展中的作用也日益凸显。如何提高档案人员素质,充分运用现代信息管理技术为民族地区档案事业发展服务就显得尤为重要,文章分析了当前民族地区档案管理人员的素质现状,并就如何进一步提升档案人员素质提出建议。