Karabakh Conflict Archive
Archiving and working with historical memory
The description of this project has been provided by the implementing partner.
The aim of the archive
Conciliation Resources and a network of partners worked on this project to create an archive of diverse source material that would enable informed dialogue within (and eventually between) societies about the future, based on what happened in the past.
The idea came from discussions about preserving the unique interview material collated during the making of the Parts of a Circle films. In these interviews, people affected by the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict share their experiences. The need for such an archive was echoed by peacebuilders who raised the importance of preserving digital copies of materials related to the conflict, which were in danger of being damaged or lost.
In the long term, these could ultimately be used in a variety of ways – outreach, education, discussion and dialogue between different groups – to enable the Armenian and Azerbaijani public to gain a more nuanced understanding of the multiple perspectives on the conflict.
The archiving process
The process involved mapping potential materials, developing a common methodology for creating an archive, and training in archiving techniques. The project initially focuses on two areas: missing people, and political activism and unrest related to the conflict from 1988 to 1990.
Following a common methodology, groups in different locations collated digital copies of archive materials, inputting contextual descriptions of over 850 items into an inventory.
This was a challenging process. This kind of systematic archiving work requires a great amount of time and attention to detail. It was difficult to find the resources to continue expanding the archive beyond the initial phase, and to agree on issues of access and end use.
It could also be hard to get people to donate their personal archives to the project – not everyone was ready to share their personal photographs and videos. Additionally, working with families of missing people had a profound emotional impact on those involved in the process.
The project strengthened relationships among a group of Armenian and Azerbaijani partners, and improved their skills and knowledge in archiving and working with a historical memory. It created a basis for other projects that followed. This included one project collating digital open-source materials on both sides following the war in 2020, and another (led by the teams that produced the Parts of a Circle films) recording and archiving new oral history interviews covering the first and second Karabakh wars.
The future of the archive
Partners are still working on collating new collections of interviews. The team is also discussing how to attract a wider audience to this work.
The Karabakh Conflict Archive is not currently publicly accessible, but a summary of the initiative is available on the Conciliation Resources website.
Partners
- Media Initiatives Centre
- Peace Dialogue
- Stepanakert Press Club
- Swisspeace
Photograph by Gulnar Salimova
I realise now that if we start to gather detailed information like this, this seriously impacts on the course of the making of history. Our archive is focused more on the history of individuals, peacemakers, civilians. I can see the power of working with our societies using the materials, such as on the missing.Project participant
