Archive Fever - Derrida, Steedman, & the Archival Turn

Archive Fever is a text by the French poststructuralist, Jacques Derrida. Influenced by Freud and psychoanalysis, Derrida asks what should be included in archives, where there are gaps, and what a Freudian archive might look like. The historian Carole Steedman reflects on the historian in the archive; what are they looking for, where are the beginnings, how can you possibly do the dead justice?

Derrida cites Arkhe as being both ‘commencement’ and ‘commandment’ – both a place – an original position, a beginning, a source, and a command, an authority, an order.

Archives are the sites of the great chain, the contract between the living and the dead, the locus of power and authority.

arkhe also comes from arkheion – a house, a dwelling, a residence. A house presumes inclusion and exclusion too. Who has the right to enter? To make the law? To interpret the archive? Who has the last word?

Historian Arlette Farge has written that ‘Archives are neither faithful to reality nor totally representative of it; but they play their part in this reality, offering differences and alternatives to other possible statements.’

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Sources:

Jacques Derrida, Archive Fever
Carole Steedman, Dust

[zealien]

I don't know why but I come back to this video every month, in the middle of the night.

[bahruzsamadov]

Thanks, this work makes my skin crawl. Words can't describe how subtle, amazing and deep is your work

[thesunthatneversets]

I can’t express how much I appreciate your content. Every one of your videos is illuminating and excellently presented.
I’m considering becoming a patron as soon as I have expendable cash

[cameronmclennan]

Great work as always, thank you. Made me think of modern archives and how the historian's relationship with them may change if in the long-term future they ever get access to all the youtube, facebook, google, twitter archives. They could make a (not particularly interesting) 10-part documentary series about almost anyone that lived.

[nelsonphillips]

It starts with a mark.
sensing, filtering, amplifying.
positive feedback, negative feedback.
The mark enters a circuit, a mechanism, a structure.
It is now not just a mark but is now a part of something.
Growing, fading.
becoming something bigger, maintaining something bigger, reducing something bigger.


The mark is now among other marks.
Marks sensing, filtering, amplifying other marks.
including, excluding other marks.
A system, a cascade, momentum.
Now sustained through movement of marks.
Controlling how, what and where a mark can change something.


The power of the mark is that the marks have movement.
How much movement and how long can a marks movement influence.
Will the mark just bounce off?
Will the mark stick?
How has the mark entered?
Will the mark amplify that which has come before?


A mark has entered.

[luismanuel]

"There is no archive without a place of consignation, without a technique of repetition,
and without a certain exteriority. No archive without outside..."/Derrida

[CanadianRevolution]

The repetition returns eternally.
You really nailed this one, my friend

[asynthe]

man, your videos evoke a feeling of learning and fulfillment, between all the banal day things, i really like seeing the thumbnail of one of your videos, and feeling today has not been just a normal day, but that i learned something.

[Anarchivist]

As an archival studies student I suggest you develop this series by including the work of Terry Cook and other archival theorists who respond to Derrida's questions.

[mackmaster]

Archives are our main collective memories, stored to be looked through in the future in order to bring back information that gives us details and nuance of what was before.

[eileenlittle]

This is a very affecting video. Your content is important and often beautiful.

[drake]

Dang what a great channel. I think this may be the most mature intellectual content on YouTube.

[aporeticist]

I have to say, I just fucking love this channel. Superb video, my friend. As always, of course, but this one somehow holds a special place in my.... archive.

[Enzaio]

Wondering where you get all this amazing old-timey footage from.

[TailaIdzi]

Hello! Could you please post here the references for the quotes from Arlete Farge?

[sebastiaankampers]

The archive as the extension of our memory... or our memory as the extension of the archive ? Atleast both are hoovering somewhere between emotions and rationality, ... as a fever dream where you suddenly wake up from, ... thankfull that its over but nostalgic about its true nature.

[MultiTeliot]

An excellent essay. I'm sorry if it's stated elsewhere and I've missed it, but does anyone know what the piano piece is?

[mahmoudelhossieny]

Whats the piano music piece in the background please?

[mirnablabla]

Is your voice-over available as text? Would be awesome to read it through again:)

[Anarcath]

Derrida is the most important philosopher in the entire tradition of Western metaphysics. At least for me.