The memory section and archive of the national museum after the disaster

Abstract

Introduction: This article analyses the reconfiguration of the Section of Memory and Archives of the National Museum/UFRJ (SEMEAR) following the 2018 fire that resulted in the near-total loss of its physical archival holdings. Objective: The study aims to examine how SEMEAR’s archival functions and professional practices were redefined to ensure institutional continuity, access to information, and the preservation of scientific and institutional memory in a post-disaster context. Methodology: The research adopts a qualitative, historical-analytical approach, grounded in bibliographical and documentary research, direct participant observation, and analysis of institutional actions undertaken after the disaster. The study is informed by international archival standards, particularly ISAD(G), as well as theoretical contributions on archival memory and archives in post-disaster scenarios. Results: The findings reveal a shift from a custody-based model centred on physical holdings to practices oriented towards digital preservation, recovery of informational surrogates, contextual reconstruction, mediation, and public dissemination. Key initiatives include the incorporation of new archival fonds and the publication of Visual Vestiges – The Photographic Plates of the National Museum, which exemplifies the transformation of documentary remnants into active sources of knowledge. Conclusion: The reconfiguration of SEMEAR demonstrates that archival function can remain operative and socially relevant even in contexts of extreme material loss, reaffirming archives as cultural heritage institutions and as dynamic spaces for knowledge production and institutional memory reconstruction.