Research Seminar: Who knew? The ‘migrated archives’, secrecy, and decolonisation

Revelations in 2011 that British authorities routinely removed colonial records as empire ended caused a sensation. Journalists and historians were captivated by what they often called the ‘secret archives’. It was a compelling story. The only problem was that many people had known something about the removal (and destruction) of colonial archives, from nationalist politicians to archivists and historians. But why does this matter for our understanding of the end of empire?

This paper contends that secret archives narratives at once overstate and understate British power at the end of empire. Overstate, because it was impossible for British officials to conceal completely the removal of thousands of files from dozens of territories. Understate, because many British officials did not try to keep the removal of archives secret, seeking instead to present it as normal and unexceptionable, and confident that they could not be held accountable.

This was not a story of secrecy, then, so much as a contest over the moral and political status of publicly available information. It unfolded across the decolonising world, from India to Kenya, from Malta to Solomon Islands, and at international organisations including UNESCO. Studying the circulation of knowledge about archival manipulation can offer fresh perspectives on both how empire ended, and on how it persisted.

Tim Livsey is Assistant Professor in History at Northumbria University. A historian of Africa and of empire, his research focuses on archives, urban space, and universities to offer new perspectives on decolonisation. His book Nigeria’s University Age: Reframing Decolonisation and Development was published in 2017, and he has published articles in journals including History Workshop Journal, the Journal of African History, and the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. He is currently working on a book manuscript about British authorities’ removal and destruction of archives during decolonisation, and efforts to investigate and contest these practices.