The Archive as a Tool for Identity Construction and Fostering Belonging Between the Individual and Society in the Contemporary World; The Sultanate of Oman as a Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33700/2670-451X.36.2.53-93(2026)Keywords:
archival science, national identity, Sultanate of Oman, oral history, affective citizenship, archival digital transformationAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to explore the modern roles of national archives, shifting them from the traditional concept of merely preserving official records and transactions to a strategic framework that views them as active instruments contributing to identity construction, collective consciousness, and national belonging. The paper examines how historical documents, maps, oral memory, and manuscripts function as a sovereign and emotional infrastructure connecting the individual, society, and the state.
Method/approach: The researcher utilized a descriptive-analytical approach to ground the theoretical frameworks of archival philosophy, memory politics, and digital citizenship. This was complemented by a case study methodology applied to the Sultanate of Oman as an empirical model, analyzing the institutional initiatives of the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) in oral history, private family archives, cartography, and ancient manuscript preservation.
Results: The study revealed that archives serve as an effective mechanism for fusing diverse cultural, linguistic, and geographical streams into a cohesive national identity that supports social stability. Engaging citizens in documenting private family archives significantly reduces the psychological barrier between individuals and state institutions, fostering affective, participatory citizenship. Furthermore, safeguarding cultural security in the contemporary digital era is directly linked to adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies within archival workflows.
Conclusions/findings: The research concludes that national archives must transition from physical preservation to smart knowledge dissemination. Transforming static records into interactive visual narratives, virtual exhibitions, and educational tools is vital to protect national memory from cultural alienation and engage younger cyber generations effectively.
Downloads
References
Al-Busaidi, N. A. (2021). Al-huwiyyah al-’umraniyyah al-’omaniyyah bayna al-asalah wa-al-tahdeeth: Dirasah watha’iqiyyah wa-tarikhiyyah [Omani architectural identity between authenticity and modernization: A documentary and historical study]. Dar Al-Lban for Publishing and Distribution.
Al-Busaidi, N. A. (2022). ‘Oman fi al-kharai’t al-tarikhiyyah al-’alamiyyah: Dirasah kartughrafiyyah wa-tarikhiyyah [Oman in global historical maps: A cartographic and historical study]. Dar Al-Lban for Publishing and Distribution.
Al-Dhawayani, H. M. (2019, October). Istiratijiyyat Hay’at al-Watha’iq wa-al-Mahfuzat al-Wataniyyah bi-Sultanat ‘Oman fi hifz al-dhakirah al-wataniyyah wa-idarat al-watha’iq al-hayyah [The strategy of the National Records and Archives Authority in the Sultanate of Oman in preserving national memory and managing active records] [Conference presentation]. International Conference on Archives, Muscat, Oman.
Al-Gheilani, H. H. (2023a). Al-handasah al-taqlidiyyah wa-sawun al-’imarah al-athariyyah fi Sultanat ‘Oman bina’an ‘ala al-shawahid al-tarikhiyyah [Traditional engineering and the preservation of archaeological architecture in the Sultanate of Oman based on historical evidence]. Kanz Al-Ma’rifah Publishing.
Al-Gheilani, H. H. (2023b). Manhajiyyat tawthiq al-tarikh al-shafawi fi Sultanat ‘Oman: Tahaddiyat wa-afaq [Methodology of documenting oral history in the Sultanate of Oman: Challenges and prospects]. Kanz Al-Ma’rifah Publishing.
Al-Harthi, M. M. (2018). Al-makhtutat al-’omaniyyah ka-masdar li-siyaghat al-fikr al-thaqafi wa-al-watani [Omani manuscripts as a source for shaping cultural and national thought]. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Publications.
Al-Hashmi, S. M. (2018). Al-Imbraturiyyah al-’Omaniyyah: Al-imtitad al-jughrafi wa-al-tawasul al-hadari [The Omani Empire: Geographical expansion and civilizational communication]. Dar Al-Jarir for Publishing and Distribution.
Al-Jahwari, N. S. (2019). Al-nuqush wa-al-rusum al-sakhriyyah fi ‘Oman wa-dawruha fi tawthiq al-hadarat al-qadimah [Rock inscriptions and carvings in Oman and their role in documenting ancient civilizations]. Journal of Omani Studies, 20, 45–72.
Al-Kharusi, H. S. (2022). Athar al-arshifat al-khassah wa-al-’a’iliyyah fi ta’zeez al-dhakirah al-wataniyyah: Tajribat Sultanat ‘Oman namudhajan [The impact of private and family archives in reinforcing national memory: The experience of the Sultanate of Oman as a model]. The Arab Journal of Informatics and Documents, 3(5), 45–68.
Al-Kharusi, S. M. (2020). Tarikh ‘Oman al-bahri wa-ta’thiruhu fi al-tamasuk al-thaqafi wa-al-ijtima’i ‘abra al-’usur [Oman’s maritime history and its impact on cultural and social cohesion through the ages]. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Publications.
Al-Maamari, A. S. (2021). Al-’alaqat al-diblumasiyyah al-’omaniyyah al-duwaliyyah fi al-qarn al-tasi’ ‘ashar min khilal al-watha’iq al-arshifiyyah [Omani international diplomatic relations in the nineteenth century through archival documents]. National Records and Archives Authority.
Al-Maawali, B. K., & Al-Yaqoobi, S. R. (2021). Istiratijiyyat jam’ wa-tawthiq al-tarikh al-shafawi fi Sultanat ‘Oman: Dirasah tahleeliyyah li-juhud Hay’at al-Watha’iq wa-al-Mahfuzat al-Wataniyyah [Strategies for collecting and documenting oral history in the Sultanate of Oman: An analytical study of the efforts of the National Records and Archives Authority]. Rissalat Al-Maktaba, 56(1), 73–98.
Al-Rashdi, S. S. (2020). Mawsūʻāt al-fiqh al-ʻUmānīyah wa-atharuhā fī ṣawn al-huwīyah al-fikrīyah lil-mujtamaʻ [Omani jurisprudence encyclopedias and their impact on safeguarding the intellectual identity of society]. The Arab Journal of Informatics and Documents, 2(4), 115–138.
Al-Siyabi, K. R. (2020). Al-tanawwu’ al-thaqafi fi ‘Oman wa-insiharuhu fi al-huwiyyah al-wataniyyah: Qira’ah fi al-watha’iq wa-al-makhtutat al-tarikhiyyah [Cultural diversity in Oman and its fusion into national identity: A reading in historical documents and manuscripts]. Journal of Omani Studies, 21, 89–112.
Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Rev. ed.). Verso.
Assmann, J. (2011). Cultural memory and early civilization: Writing, remembrance, and political imagination. Cambridge University Press.
Bantin, P. R. (Ed.). (2016). Building trustworthy digital repositories: Theory and practice. Rowman & Littlefield.
Barthes, R. (1981). Camera lucida: Reflections on photography (R. Howard, Trans.). Hill and Wang.
Black, J. (2000). Maps and history: Constructing images of the past. Yale University Press.
Cook, T. (2013). Evidence, memory, identity, and community: Four shifting archival paradigms. Archival Science, 13(2–3), 95–120. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-012-9180-7 (1. 10.2026).
Cox, R. J. (2020). The archivist’s manifesto: Essays on the future of memory institutions. Library Juice Press.
Derrida, J. (1996). Archive fever: A Freudian impression (E. Prenowitz, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
Featherstone, M. (2006). Archive. Theory, Culture & Society, 23(2–3), 591–596. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276406023002106 (1. 10. 2026).
Foucault, M. (1972). The archaeology of knowledge and the discourse on language (A. M. Sheridan Smith, Trans.). Pantheon Books.
Gilliland, A. J. (2014). Conceptualizing 21st-century archives. Society of American Archivists.
Halbwachs, M. (1992). On collective memory (L. A. Coser, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
Jimerson, R. C. (2009). Archives power: Memory, accountability, and social justice. Society of American Archivists.
Ketelaar, E. (2008). Archives as spaces of memory. Journal of the Society of Archivists, 29(1), 9–27. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00379810802499678 (1. 10. 2026).
Misztal, B. A. (2003). Theories of social remembering. Open University Press.
National Records and Archives Authority. (2024). Al-ma’arid al-watha’iqiyyah wa-dawruha fi ta’zeez al-wa’i al-watani [Documentary exhibitions and their role in enhancing national awareness].
Schwartz, J. M. (2007). Archives as spaces of resistance: Challenging the global cultural hegemony. Archival Science, 7(4), 321–338.
Schwartz, J. M., & Cook, T. (2002). Archives, records, and power: The making of modern memory. Archival Science, 2(1–2), 1–19. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02435628 (1. 10. 2026).
Seemiller, C., & Grace, M. (2017). Generation Z: Changes on the horizon for higher education. Online Submission, 19(3), 21–26.
Vansina, J. (1985). Oral tradition as history. University of Wisconsin Press.
Xie, S. (2019). Digital preservation and cultural identity in the globalized era. Journal of Documentation, 75(2), 412–430.
Yakel, E. (2003). Archival representation. Archival Science, 3(1), 1–25. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02442290 (1. 10. 2026).
