The European ACTIVATE project, launched in January 2025 for a four-year period, aims, through a series of mobility schemes as well as academic events and exhibitions, to contribute to a dialogue between researchers, archivists and activists on the role of archives in civil society mobilisations in Europe since the 19th century, in close relation to non-European contexts. One of the project’s starting points is to view archive centres not merely as resource centres for research, but as indispensable actors and partners for individuals and groups involved in political and social mobilisations.

In order to study these dynamics over the long term of the contemporary period, from a transnational and comparative perspective, four cross-cutting themes have been selected. The first is a comparative analysis of conservative and progressive forms of activism linked to the notion of revolution. The project thus aims to contribute to the historiography of the labour movement, but also of the ‘brown’ and ‘black’ Internationals – to mention only the20thcentury – which remain less documented and archived and, consequently, less studied, even though their impact on European history is no less significant.

The second theme is the emergence and spread of feminist movements, situated within both their national and international contexts. Since the late 1960s, women’s archives have been established independently, as they were not included in existing social archives, which highlights the importance of reflecting on the political and historiographical consequences of archival practices. Putting current environmental movements into perspective is the focus of the third area.

The aim is not only to provide them with historical depth, but also to highlight the local, national and transnational dynamics at work throughout the period under study, by tracing the archives that enable us to explore the many forms of public discourse and action that have emerged in Europe on this subject since the turn of the19thcentury. The final theme aims to situate the European context within an international framework, focusing on the issue of solidarity with political and social movements outside Europe.

This involves, in particular, studying the role played by diasporas, exiles and transnational networks of activists in European political and social life – highlighting the processes of collection and promotion, or indeed individualisation, through the archives of these actors engaged in political and social activism.

Three working groups will organise mobility and international cooperation. The first, entitled ‘Activating archives: a comparative transnational history’, aims to explore a comparative history of the project’s partner institutions. From the Musée Carnavalet, opened in 1880 in Paris, to the Blinken OSA Archivum in Budapest, founded in 1995 and launched a year later at the instigation of George Soros as a department of the Central European University (CEU), via the Contemporaine (Nanterre, France), whose initial project dates back to 1917, and the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam launched in 1935, the 11 partner archive centres and museums enable us to trace, over more than a century, the intertwined history − both institutional and rooted in biographical trajectories—of the entire process of archiving the traces of activist actions.

The aim is to gain a better understanding of the initiatives behind these collections, the evolution of archiving policies and practices within these institutions, and any interactions that may have developed over time, moving away from a monographic approach in favour of a resolutely comparative one.

An initial seminar of this working group was held on 14 November 2025 at the IISH in Amsterdam, entitled “The archives of archives: current state and challenges”. The aim was to examine how the consortium’s archive centres had, since their respective foundations, collected archives on their own history and their own activities. One of the questions focused on the networks into which these archives had been able to integrate or which they might have initiated, particularly networks of activists.

The second WP2 seminar will take place on Monday 18 May 2026 at the Feltrinelli Foundation. Entitled “The archivist, the researcher and the activist: challenges of collaboration from a historical and comparative perspective”, it focuses on the challenges archivists and researchers face when collaborating with and collecting archives from political and social movements.

One of the questions that emerges concerns the identity and status of these three groups—archivists, researchers and activists—which are distinct in principle: are the boundaries between them not shifting and porous? And if so, are there historical or national developments or specific characteristics? Three themes will guide the discussions, drawing on case studies from Europe and beyond.

Starting and keeping the dialogue alive

Initial attempts to convince activists of the importance of their archives and the need to preserve them are not always successful. Beyond the well-known challenges associated with archiving documents and data, the aim is to discuss specific issues related to collaborating with these archive producers.

How does this collaboration come about? What role can the researcher play between the archivist and the activist? How can a relationship of trust be established, and the importance of archives conveyed? How can future archivists be trained for this work; what skills do they need in this respect? What lessons can be learnt from past failures? What to do with differing expectations?

Archival activists and activist archivists: blurring and shifting roles

The aim is also to examine, from a diachronic perspective, the associated changing role of the archivist (curator, mediator, facilitator). Taking this further, what can we learn from the long-term practice of archiving about the blurring of boundaries between archivists, researchers and activists?

Is it possible to speak of archival activists or activist archivists prior to the 1970s and the debate surrounding the neutrality of archivists (Howard Zinn)? If so, what periodisation can be outlined? Should archivists and activists share the same values and ideology? Should the archive put into practice what it collects (for example, by reducing its carbon footprint)?

Rethinking participatory archiving in the present day

It is a matter of examining the purpose of archiving documents and data produced by political and social activism. Several avenues can be explored: to preserve the memory of activists or of a social group; to strengthen their collective identity, record their activities, and enable them to establish their own narrative in opposition to the dominant official narrative.

However, how have new archiving tools and forms of activism influenced collaboration between archivists and activists, as well as the purpose of archiving their documents and data? How can archivists respond to the increased transnational dimension of political and social mobilisations, born-digital data, and critical approaches to archiving, including the postcolonial approach?

The event on 18 June, which will bring together activists, archivists and researchers from various institutions, will provide an opportunity to enrich our collective thinking through empirical studies, with the aim of contributing to current discussions on the best way to mobilise civic engagement in the service of a democratic Europe