The Last Dance of the Phoenix, or The De-discovery of the Archival Fonds

Probably even more in Europe than in the rest of the world the principle of provenance caused confusion and heavy debates among archivists. Its roots seem to be in the respect des fonds, expressed in France in 1841, but as a matter of fact are much older and initially lacked any kind of theoretical foundation. The diversity in administrative practice in various European traditions did not contribute to a real consensus, either about what a fonds is, or whether the original order should be preserved or restored. In those traditions where strong registry systems exist (or existed) archiviststend to respect the original order, whereas in other traditions archivists may find it cumbersome. But even the fonds as an entity to respect is challenged, since often administrative changes in the originating administration blurred its boundaries. Why do archivists all over the world try to respect a thing or a situation that is so problematic? What is the reason that again and again archival thinkers try to solve the puzzle caused by the unruliness of the material with which they work? Why do they try to get all situations to fit into their paradigm? How is it that the Phoenix can be reborn from any fire that it burns? In a re-reading of existing literature, European, North American, and Australian we may discover new patterns.