AGENTS AGAINST FORGETTING
CONTRIBUTIONS TO ARCHIVAL MEMORY
Keywords:
memória e esquecimento; agentes; abordagem científica, análise de conteúdo.Abstract
This study investigates the conceptual dimensions and approaches regarding forgetting within Archival Science—situated within the broader field of Information Science—starting from the following question: how is forgetting addressed in archival studies available in the Information Science Database? The research, which is bibliographic, qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive in nature, employs content analysis to examine publications on "archives" and "forgetting" indexed in the Information Science Database (BRAPCI), resulting in a corpus of 12 journal articles. The theoretical framework connects concepts of social memory, the archive as an instrument of the State and collective identity, and forgetting as an active, selective, political, and sometimes violent process. Data analysis reveals that forgetting in archives manifests as a curation tool (document disposal), an act of power (silencing marginalized groups), and a practical contingency of information management. The results highlight the political function of archives in constructing official memory. The study concludes that archival forgetting is not merely an absence but a complex, intentional phenomenon that demands critical reflection on appraisal, preservation, and access practices. It suggests expanding research to foster institutional actions that promote a plurality of memories and address the historical erasure of subaltern voices.