Symbolic violence in the context of archival institutions

Abstract

Objective: The overall objective of this study is to examine the extent to which information access practices in Uberlândia comply with the Freedom of Information Act and whether they constitute potential forms of violence. This objective specifically entails: (1) clarifying whether the municipality implements active transparency measures, as well as (2) investigating whether access to documents and archival information can be achieved in a practical and unbureaucratic manner.
Methodology: This research is characterized as applied, exploratory, and descriptive, with a qualitative approach. This research context required methodological procedures with a bibliographic and documentary focus. Thus, we analyzed transdisciplinary theoretical contributions and the documentary literature on the topic, consulting articles, books, and academic works addressing access to information, records management, and symbolic violence. Finally, we conducted an analysis and interpretation of data through a detailed study of the empirical framework, focusing on identifying possible practices that characterize symbolic violence due to the lack of access to information within the Uberlândia Public Archives.
Results: The analytical findings show that if the issues raised are addressed by the municipality, they have the potential to optimize document management within the municipal structure and ensure tools that are more comprehensive and tailored to the needs of the population.
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this research, we suggest conducting further studies to deepen the analysis of document management practices in other municipalities, enabling comparisons and the identification of best practices.