Accountability, human rights and social justice in public sector recordkeeping

Abstract

Accountability, human rights and social justice are inextricably linked. Rights cannot be defended and upheld, and inequalities cannot be highlighted and challenged in the absence of accountability. In recent decades, recordkeepers have increasingly emphasised the role of archives and records in facilitating accountability, upholding rights and exposing instances of social injustice. This paper assesses the twenty-first-century recordkeeping literature as it relates to the ethical issues of accountability, human rights and social justice in public sector recordkeeping. While there is some consensus on the role of recordkeeping with regard to accountability and human rights, there is less agreement regarding social justice, which remains a contested and poorly defined concept in the literature. The debates around accountability, human rights and social justice impact on perceptions of the role of the archivist and have led to a strong trend towards more activist interpretations, with increasing calls for greater inclusion and the development of participatory recordkeeping models. Despite this trend, implementation remains a challenge, and the gap between theory and practice needs to be continually addressed.