For the past several years, the Congrégation de Notre-Dame has been concerned with the issues of interculturality and discrimination. In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Joyce Echaquan (2020), the 2021 General Chapter officially set out to combat all forms of discrimination and racism, both inside and outside the community. Several meetings and discussion groups were held involving sisters and associates around the world, as well as lay employees at the Mother House in Montreal1.
Anti-oppressive measure
Introduction
The current mission of the archives of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame (Archives Services) is to manage all of the Congregation's historical documents in order to serve as the Congrégation de Notre-Dame's living memory and make known to society the Congregation's contribution since the arrival of its foundress, Marguerite Bourgeoys, in Ville-Marie in 1653. We thus continue the work of our predecessors by preserving the memory of Marguerite Bourgeoys and of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame. However, since 2023, just like the rest of the Congregation, Archives Services has been reflecting on the oppressive role the archives may have played in the past and the role that they still play today. These questions apply to all of our professional practices when we are confronted with colonialist or racist themes and references found in the archives or images we preserve and distribute.
Guidelines for anti-oppressive archival practices
At the beginning of 2024, Archives Services committed itself to transforming its approach to archival work and changing its practices. The initial exercise was to decolonize our database. We realized that this was not to be a one-off action, and that colonialism was not the only form of oppression in our archival collections. We therefore made the decision to begin a broader reflection on our archival practices and on oppression in and by archives.
These Guidelines for Anti-Oppressive Archival Practices were adopted in December 2024 by Archives Services to support the Congrégation de Notre-Dame's decolonization process. The "Principles" and "Objectives"2 will guide our various archival tasks over the coming years.
Principles
First principle
Recognition of the systemic discrimination at work in our society and its presence in contemporary archival practices.
Archives Service recognizes that it has been built and operates in a society based on systemic discrimination (non-exhaustive list: colonialism, racism, sexism, ableism, capitalism, heteronormativity). These systemic discriminations, which can accumulate, have caused and continue to cause harm and damage to many individuals and communities. Contemporary archival practices perpetuate these systemic discriminations by contributing to the production of a single, Eurocentric narrative of the past.
Second principle
Commitment to a long-term anti-oppressive approach.
Archives Services is committed to being active in the fight against discrimination and breaking cycles of oppression. Archives have real political power and can be an important ally in recognizing and redressing the harm and damage caused by discrimination. This commitment requires a sustained and regular investment of time, personnel and material and financial resources. This work, carried out in complete transparency, will never be finished and will need to be re-evaluated regularly to ensure that it remains appropriate and relevant.
Third principle
Commitment to working with people and communities who have suffered or are suffering from discrimination and respecting their priorities and needs.
Archives Service is committed to working in collaboration with people or communities who have suffered or are suffering from discrimination in its archive acquisition, processing and distribution activities. These activities must respect the priorities and needs expressed by the people or communities concerned and be carried out in such a way as to allow other forms of expertise to assert themselves.
Objectives
First objective
Research, support and contribute to the development of anti-oppressive archival practices and promote them among Archives Services staff.
Second objective
Build relationships based on respect, reciprocity, relevance and responsibility with people and communities who have suffered or are suffering from discrimination.
Third objective
Ensure responsible and respectful access to archives for the people or communities concerned by them.
Guide to anti-oppressive processing
Download the Guide to Anti-Oppressive Processing (PDF).
Bibliography on anti-oppressive and inclusive practices in the heritage field
See references on Zotero. The bibliography is periodically updated.
1 On approaches to combatting discrimination and inequality, see the Congrégation de Notre-Dame website (About Us - Congrégation de Notre-Dame), as well as the Forum 2024 presentation (A Call to Decolonize the Congrégation de Notre-Dame: To Better Participate in the Humanization of the World. - Congrégation de Notre-Dame).
2 The Principles and Objectives are inspired by the Reconciliation Framework, a report written by the Task Force on the Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, published in 2022 by the Steering Committee on Canada's Archives: https://archives2026.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/reconciliationframeworkreport_en.pdf
