Comma

Abstract

People from different disempowered groups struggling for justice may be dependent on archive material to document and substantiate their claims. This paper addresses the question of to what extent archivists are aware of their role as rulers of the archives. The case of the Norwegian war children is used as an example, and the importance of information from the archives of the Norwegian National Archives for them both individually and as a group in society is discussed. The paper also considers how civil servants and archivists can perform their work in a professional way when they are aware of the potential significance their role may have for users from disempowered groups and their search for justice.