A Dream Yet Unfulfilled? : Professional Solidarity and Personal Ideals

How do our personal experiences drive us towards archival solidarity? What makes us move from individual feeling to formalised action? Are the underlying principles of the archival enterprise responsible for fostering solidarity? Can we even agree on what those principles are across language and philosophical differences? Do archivists in other countries want our support and how do we negotiate the pitfalls of post-colonial relationships and their archival legacies? Are the qualities that move us to express solidarity unique to our profession or sector? This paper discusses how the authors’ personal and professional experiences have informed their decision to help establish a chapter of Archives without Borders in the UK and explore the ramifications of representing one of the most powerful colonial pasts in history