ABSTRACT What do our possessions say about us? More specifically what do they say about our past, present and our future? Many families possess a “family archive”; documents, photographs, heirlooms, scrapbooks, recipes and a whole range of other items that “reveal insights” into past generations, and preserve family stories. They may never have thought of these assemblages as “archives”, but by retaining and preserving possessions these items mold a sense of family identity either consciously or unconsciously. This article explores the initial findings of a series of focus groups conducted in the UK, which considers the “family archive” as an important and undervalued site of meaning and identity construction. The article also highlights the relationship between the “official” or publicly recognized heritage and “unofficial” or everyday/private heritage, locating the “family archive” across these domains. We argue for greater recognition and promotion of this “behind the scenes” heritage and for museums and archives to explore the potential opportunities that the engagement with the “family archive” offers for wider audience engagement.

中文翻译：

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我们就是我们所保留的：“家族档案”、身份和公共/私人遗产

摘要 我们的财产对我们有什么影响？更具体地说，他们对我们的过去、现在和未来怎么说？许多家庭拥有“家庭档案”；文件、照片、传家宝、剪贴簿、食谱和一系列其他“揭示”对过去几代人的见解并保存家庭故事的物品。他们可能从未将这些组合视为“档案”，但通过保留和保存财产，这些物品有意或无意地塑造了一种家庭认同感。本文探讨了在英国进行的一系列焦点小组的初步调查结果，这些小组将“家庭档案”视为意义和身份建构的重要且被低估的场所。文章还强调了“官方”或公开承认的遗产与“非官方”或日常/私人遗产之间的关系，并在这些领域中定位了“家族档案”。我们主张更多地承认和推广这种“幕后”遗产，让博物馆和档案馆探索与“家庭档案馆”的接触为更广泛的观众参与提供的潜在机会。