Book
Open Access
Material Cultures of Archiving
An Introduction to a Global and Historical Practice
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Edited by:
Markus Friedrich
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2026
About this book
The history of archiving and record-keeping has recently attracted a lot of attention, however, scholarship on the physical and spatial aspects of that history are still scant. Hence, the volume foregrounds the material aspect of record-keeping and highlights the object-nature of archiving. Chapters on archive-related document preparation and the composition of archivable records are followed by explorations of storage containers, furniture, and spaces.
The volume is cross-cultural in nature, highlighting the materiality of record-keeping practices as a prime entry point for a globally comparative history of archiving. Exploring the rich traditions of record-keeping practices and facilities makes visible previously underappreciated parallels and unique specifics of various archival cultures from around the globe.
The volume is cross-cultural in nature, highlighting the materiality of record-keeping practices as a prime entry point for a globally comparative history of archiving. Exploring the rich traditions of record-keeping practices and facilities makes visible previously underappreciated parallels and unique specifics of various archival cultures from around the globe.
Author / Editor information
Markus Friedrich, Institute for Modern History, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany.
Topics
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Frontmatter
I -
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Contents
V -
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Why Materiality Matters in Archival History: An Introduction
1 -
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Chapter 1: Archival Artefacts: From Sheets and Files to Digital Documents
19 -
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Case Study 1.1: Archiving Ancient Papyrus in Modern Times
66 -
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Case Study 1.2: Material Traces of Piercing and Bundling in the Ḥaram al-Sharīf Corpus
68 -
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Chapter 2: Books as Archives
71 -
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Case Study 2.1: A Medieval Cartulary: The Codex Eberhardi
96 -
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Case Study 2.2: The Golden Gospel of Dabra Libānos, at Ham, Eritrea
98 -
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Chapter 3: Containers: From Wrapped Textiles and Jars to Hard Disks
101 -
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Case Study 3.1: An Archival Backpack from Gotha
142 -
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Case Study 3.2: Archival Bags in Ethiopia
144 -
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Case Study 3.3: Leather-laminated Boxes from Ethiopia
146 -
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Case Study 3.4: An Early Modern Coptic Slipcase from Cairo, Egypt
148 -
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Case Study 3.5: A Decorated Charter Ark from Xanten, 1460
150 -
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Chapter 4: Furniture
153 -
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Case Study 4.1: Fluchtkisten
206 -
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Case Study 4.2: Shelves and Manuscripts in Tibet
208 -
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Case Study 4.3: Storing Books (and Potentially Archival Bundles) in Medieval Arabic Societies
210 -
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Case Study 4.4: Ida Dehmel’s Archive Cabinet (Hamburg, 1901)
212 -
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Case Study 4.5: Working the Archive: An Archival Desk and Many Drawers
214 -
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Chapter 5: Storage Spaces: Rooms and Buildings
217 -
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Case Study 5.1: Caves as Storage Spaces
250 -
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Case Study 5.2: Archive Building in Gondar Ethiopia
252 -
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Case Study 5.3: The Archives Internationales de la Danse in Paris
254 -
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Case Study 5.4: The ʿĀbdīn Palace Archive in Cairo: Merging Monarchy and Nation
256 -
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Contributors
259 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
General Index
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
December 1, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9783111656014
Hardcover published on:
December 1, 2025
Hardcover ISBN:
9783111655475
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Front matter:
6
Main content:
267
Illustrations:
18
Coloured Illustrations:
74
Audience(s) for this book
Students and scholars of history, history of books, manuscript studies, transcultural studies
Creative Commons
BY-NC-ND 4.0
Safety & product resources
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Manufacturer information:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Genthiner Straße 13
10785 Berlin
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com
