Building Community Through Archives: a Report on the Activities of the Canadian Slovenian Historical Society

The Canadian Slovenian Historical Society (CSHS)/Kanadsko Slovensko zgodovinsko drustvo (KSZD) started with no fanfare and the most meager of resources, but with energy and perhaps a naive belief in its role within the community. In a sense, it has become the keeper of collective memory. The term, coined by Maurice Halbwachs in his seminal study The Social Frameworks of Memory (1925) posited that memories are formed through events that have affected society, although each member can remember individual aspects. Certainly emigration to Canada from Slovenia (in its various geo-political manifestations) informs the memory of all Canadians of Slovenian heritage. The work of the CSHS is to ensure that the memory, no matter how difficult or easy, does not become lost.