Digital (Legal) Archives: Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America

The historiographical study of COVID-19 digital archives evokes some important levels of debate within the Theory and Methodology of History. As archives determine research undertakings, in-depth investigations into their infrastructural aspects—ownership, archival criteria, forms of preservation and access—are required. This also valid for investigating the legal dimensions of the archive. What is normative information? How to find normative content in a document that at first glance has nothing to do with the law?

In this presentation, Ian Marino will approach the Latin American archival landscape regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the expressive and unexpected character of this tragic event, numerous digital initiatives have arisen to register and preserve documents, data, and memories at the global level. The nature of these aspects crosses boundaries, as they are not restricted to specific countries. This scenario thus depicts characters and situations indispensable for a legal historical understanding of such a global event. In this sense, understanding the archival conditions in which these documents have been preserved and recognizing, in advance, the central role that digital technologies play in this process are crucial. On the other hand, Marino will highlight the complex situation of public archives, given the mass of documents resulting from the pandemic, and pose questions about the increasingly important interface between history, archives, and a policy for transparency of data.

Short CV

Ian Marino is a scholar in the field of History, holding a BA from the University of São Paulo, an MA from the State University of Campinas, and currently pursuing a PhD at the same institution. He is also a Digital Humanities Fellow at the Leibniz-Institut für Europäische Geschichte in Mainz. Ian's research contributions span various areas, including serving as a manager for the Coronarchive project, which monitors memory projects related to the pandemic in Latin America. His expertise in the intersection of theory of history, global history, and digital history is reflected in his publications, including articles titled "COVID-19 and digital archives in Latin America" and "Digital Resources: Digital Informal Archives in Contemporary Brazil" in the Oxford Encyclopedia for Latin American Studies.

The lecture and discussion will be in English. Everybody is welcome to participate. As the lecture takes place in the seminar room, places will be limited, first come, first served. Please contact lima@lhlt.mpg.de to register for the event.