The United Church of Canada's Reconciliation Documents and the Indexing of Collective Memory

Abstract

Following a new trajectory in the field of Knowledge Organization, I explore how indexes are part of the structure of our everyday lives. Drawing on extensive archival research, I look at documents created and used by the United Church of Canada as part of its reconciliation work with Indigenous peoples. I conclude that these documents index the narrative the church tells about itself—and therefore its identity—as part of the development and maintenance of the UCC’s evolving collective memory. My findings reinforce Knowledge Organization’s new line of inquiry while also complicating its message concerning the nature of infrastructure.

Martin Nord

Faculty of Information & Media Studies, Western University

Martin Nord is a PhD candidate in Library and Information Science in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at Western University. His research considers how documents influence individuals as they position themselves in the world as moral selves.