an archive that would fill the gap. The authors stress that colonial archives can give quite a distorted picture of history. Researchers who want to avoid this trap will have to pay attention to the context of archives and to look at who decided what to put on paper, why they did so and what happened afterwards when their superiors and successors had to decide whether to preserve the documents or to destroy them, and finally how the archivists appraised the documents and chose which of them to take in. With the article of Ton Kappelhof, we enter the world of private archives. His article deals with the archives of Protestant and Catholic missions. Missionary work can be considered as a form of European expansion. The article gives a general description of how these archives were created and managed, who was allowed to consult them and the aims that the missionaries and their superiors fostered. Control of the missionary scene and erecting a monument for posterity of the missionaries' achievements and the home front have been primary motives in keeping archives in good condition. These archives may be rich in content, though their context must always be kept in mind. Jinna Smit points to the fact that archives are a part of our cultural heritage. Most people who think or talk about heritage have objects in mind such as buildings, landmarks or archaeological finds, but archives are also part of our cultural heritage and so need care and protection. She also points to the difference between heritage and science; heritage often rests on emotions, science does not and prefers using hard facts, trying to analyse these by using theories. Science has a methodology; the essential parts of it are globally accepted. Heritage studies as a discipline is still young and in search of a methodology and good practice. 19 CHARLES JEURGENS AND TON KAPPELHOF COLONIAL ARCHIVES

Periodiekviewer Koninklijke Vereniging van Archivarissen

Jaarboeken Stichting Archiefpublicaties | 2012 | | pagina 21