Participatory Democracy and the Washing Machine Syndrome: Lights and Shadows of Inclusive Archiving between Demagogy and Social Participation

Guidarelli, Giulia Participatory Democracy and the Washing Machine Syndrome: Lights and Shadows of Inclusive Archiving between Demagogy and Social Participation. JLIS.it, 2025, vol. 16, n. 3, pp. 27-42. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

This article offers an analysis of the wide spectrum of participatory archival phenomenologies and practices, with the aim of identifying the critical issues inherent in these processes of documentary sedimentation, particularly in relation to their defining feature: the ethical commitments that shape them. It critically examines the role of archivists within frameworks of reparative social justice, drawing attention to the potential risks of instrumentalizing both the "democratization of history" and the use of digital resources. The discussion ultimately addresses archival responsibility toward the emotional and informational needs that give rise to participatory archives, grounding them in a physical and community-based dimension.

Italian abstract

Il contributo sviluppa un’analisi del ventaglio di fenomenologie e prassi archivistiche partecipative con lo scopo di evidenziare i punti critici di tali processi di sedimentazione documentaria soprattutto alla luce del loro elemento qualificante: il comportamento etico che le anima. L’articolo prende pertanto in considerazione il ruolo degli archivisti rispetto a dinamiche di giustizia sociale riparativa, ponendo l’accento sui rischi dettati da una strumentalizzazione dei processi di “democratizzazione della storia” e delle risorse digitali. La riflessione, infine, verte sulla responsabilità archivistica nei confronti dei bisogni al contempo emotivi e informativi a partire dai quali si sviluppano gli archivi partecipati, ancorandoli a una dimensione fisica e comunitaria.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Community archives; Participatory archives; Living archives; Inclusive archiving; Archivi di comunità; Archivi partecipativi; Archivi viventi; Archivistica inclusiva
Date deposited: 15 Sep 2026 05:10
Last modified: 20 Sep 2026 22:24
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/48996

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