How do UK archivists perceive ‘white supremacy’ in the UK archives sector?

Abstract

Structural racism and white supremacy are hot topics that spark debate amongst UK archivists. This paper makes use of a survey created as part of a Masters in Archives and Records Management at the University of Liverpool in 2020, to examine archivists’ perceptions of white supremacy in UK archives. It demonstrates that although there is a strong appetite for change within the sector, white supremacy can be seen to influence some archivists’ judgment, and decisive action is needed to prevent this from impeding the positive progress of anti-racist activities towards countering the negative impact of white supremacy.