By Mélanie Henry
One of the objectives of the research project DREAM (Drafting and Enacting the Revolutions in the Arab Mediterranean) is to identify the archives containing sources for the history of revolts since the 1950’s in the Arab Mediterranean worlds. Accordingly, this report dealing with a lurch at the National Archives of Tunisia, has been written with the following intention: to share concrete information that would facilitate, or even allow, further investigations. This modest approach would also allow us to think about the traces of revolts in different historical configurations: what kind of sources are they? Who does preserve and distribute them, and how? How does it relate to the past, history, and social change?
My point of view is tinged with a slight feeling of strangeness: I am familiar with the problems mentioned above in general, but I have dealt with them more concretely in the Egyptian context. I only spent a few days at the National Archives in Tunis, therefore, the odds of being successful were low considering the length of the stay and the relationships of trust being established in the field. However, these few days of enquiry followed an official meeting between the Director of the National Archives, Hedi Jallab, and the DREAM team. The latter includes several researchers known within the Tunisian intellectual scene, and in particular historian Kmar Bendana, whose connection with the director was decisive to my enquiry. Continue reading “Short visit at the National Archives of Tunis: looking for traces of the revolt”