Abstract
Abstract By looking at list-making and comparative assessments of trade, this article on central administrative practices of record management aims at discussing the mobilization of archives in French colonial supervision in the eighteenth century. A Bureau des Colonies was created in the French Secretariat of the Marine in 1710: from the very outset, its main mission was to deal with the colonial records, mostly correspondence, through which the colonies were administered. Archives had been collected and classified in the Bureau des archives from 1699 onwards. But this implied an effort in the organization of papers: throughout the eighteenth century, the imperial administration created several other documentary tools that produced a simplified and ideal vision of the empire and of its place in the global order. Looking at the kinds of papers produced by the colonial administration and where these records were kept provides insight into how the central authorities understood the colonial empire. The paperwork shaped the way administrators understood empire, through operations carried out by the clerks on the records. Records were collected from all the colonies and actors, with a growing sense of being a unique agency possessing relevant records that were reduced to similar storage units by agents without field experience. In fact, archives became crucial in strengthening the empire as a political unity, under a centralized metropolitan direction, mainly after the Seven Years’ War.
Highlights
In 1789 a large document called Chart of the general trade of France with its American and African colonies from 1716 until 1786 was produced for the Secrétaire d’Etat de la Marine (French Minister of the Navy).[1]
By looking at list-making and comparative assessments of trade, this article on central administrative practices of record management aims at discussing the mobilization of archives in French colonial supervision in the eighteenth century
A Bureau des Colonies was created in the French Secretariat of the Marine in 1710: from the very outset, its main mission was to deal with the colonial records, mostly correspondence, through which the colonies were administered
Summary
In 1789 a large document called Chart of the general trade of France with its American and African colonies from 1716 until 1786 was produced for the Secrétaire d’Etat de la Marine (French Minister of the Navy).[1]. The tabular presentation of imperial figures was a means to enhance the efficiency of this office and demonstrate its ability to collect and compare many sources of information, even if the figures the clerks came up with are considered inaccurate by historians.[5] The mere existence of this chart embodies an increasingly efficient chain that linked All these interlinked operations were instrumental in strengthening the authority of the Marine over colonial matters. Throughout the eighteenth century, the imperial administration created several other documentary tools that produced a simplified and ideal vision of the empire and of its place in the global order To account for this evolution, I will first describe the collection and classification of records that led to a centralization of records in the Bureau des Colonies. Records and archival materials were jointly mobilized together to produce knowledge, both influencing the ministerial understanding of colonies and supporting the claims of the Marine as the main colonial authority in France
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
