Where to begin?

Fitting an archive into its historical context poses a question of where to begin. The obvious answer is 'begin at the beginning'; but where is the beginning? Well, that depends on the audience!

An audience of professional historians might need little in the way of context, especially if they were cultural or intellectual historians (no, not historians who are intellectuals, but historian who study the history of ideas!), or those with an interest in the history of religious movements, or specialists in the history of psychology, or engaged in the history of Peace Studies. 

But then much of the archive was Jungian, so perhaps not historians, but Jungians, or others with an interest in the human mind. 

Then again, Irene Pickard, whose archive it was, was a Quaker – so Quakers? 

How about students of Peace Studies? So much of the why that group of Quakers in Geneva were so deeply interested in what Jung had to say was because of its implications for the peace work they were engaged with.

There were so many overlapping potential circles of interest in the story of the archive and its creators; a case of intersectionality if there ever was.

Even a Quaker audience posed a problem. Many Quakers may not need a lot of context – one might hope so! Although a repeated complaint is how little Quakers know of Quaker history: after all, it is not essential to being a Friend. What matters is what Friends do and how that enriches their lives and the lives of others. The shared space of stillness and silence which engenders so much is why people come, allied with the commitment to living out the truth of what is encountered. That living out often encapsulated as the testimonies of Simplicity, Truth, Equality, Peace and Sustainability. Easily said, but much more complex in the unpacking.

For instance, 'simplicity' means de-ritualising, stripping down to the bear essentials: you, in stillness and silence, sitting with a few others, preferably in a quiet and plain space set aside for the purpose, unburdened by the weight of theology or orchestration by a cleric; but it means so much more too – taking that straightforwardness into daily life. But to do all this – to live it – does not need much, if any, knowledge of Quaker history. Even Quakers might need far more context than might be supposed if they are to appreciate what is in the archive and how that has contributed to shaping modern Quakerism.

To return to the question: who are the likely readers? Clearly the less specialist, the more context would be needed. 

In deciding how to use the fruits of my research I was greatly helped by those wonderfully chance conversations that happen. Friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues – in fact anyone who got chatting to me asking what I was doing these days – got a very, very brief synopsis of what I was researching into. Once they heard, they often said "Oh! I'd like to read about that. Let me know when you have produced something. Sound like it would make a good book."

So, the likely audience seemed to be far wider than professional historian, Jungians, Quakers or other odd assorted individuals; and that helped determine the answer of where to begin: start at the very beginning. Assume anyone reading is simply interested but has no specific background. The sort of person who might mooch through non-fiction titles in a book-store.  

That set the the question of who on earth are the Quakers and how did they come about, as the starting point for the narrative of how and why Irene Pickard's archive came to be created and preserved – but in no more than 1500 words. That meant a lot of simplifying and compacting! And going back to 1652.

No. I tell a lie! To 1612 and the burning at the stake of Bartholomew Legate.

No! That not it. To the Lollards in the mid 14th century.

Actually, to a streak of perversity among the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, that waves a finger at any would be authority.