Recomposition of the Historical Electoral Archive of Paraíba (1932–1937)

Memory, Citizenship, and Document Dissemination

Abstract

This article analyzes the recomposition of the Historical Archival Fund of the Electoral Justice of Paraíba (1932–1937), through the Projeto Origens (Origins Project), an initiative of the Regional Electoral Court of Paraíba (TRE-PB), in collaboration with public universities and specialists in records management and institutional memory. The creation of Electoral Justice in 1932 marked the beginning of a new political-electoral regime in Brazil, introducing the secret ballot, a specialized court system, and women's suffrage. In this context, TRE-PB accumulated a documentary series of high historical and evidential value. However, with the dissolution of Electoral Justice in 1937 during the Estado Novo dictatorship, the archival fund was dispersed and fragmented, creating gaps that still affect the integrity of the institution’s memory.

The recomposition of this archival fund took place between 2012 and 2025, through the identification and recovery of documents scattered across public and private collections, as well as in the official press, such as the newspaper A União. With a qualitative and decolonial approach, the project is grounded in the Epistemologies of the South (Santos, 2022) and the decolonial perspectives of Quijano (2005) and Mignolo (2007), understanding archives as symbolic territories of dispute where dominant narratives are challenged and silenced voices are recovered. In this sense, the publication of the Livros de Actas do TRE-PB (1932–1935), accompanied by paleographic notes and archival descriptions, constitutes not only a preservation action but also a political gesture of epistemic justice.

The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and documentary methodology, with emphasis on archival and diplomatic analysis, as well as on the descriptive standards defined by NOBRADE (2006). The documentary universe is the TRE-PB Historical Fund, particularly the Acta de Sessão series. Methods used include hemerographic research, digitization, paleographic transcription, and the creation of descriptive catalogs with metadata. The process involved assessing the archival status, verifying authenticity, classifying documents based on provenance and organicity principles, and proposing educational actions grounded in heritage education and civic formation.

The theoretical framework includes authors such as Camargo (2003), who emphasizes the historical value of documents within their production context; Belloto (2002), who contributes with diplomatic and typological analysis; Silva (2015), who reflects on the concept of the “archival place”; and Japiassu (2021), who views archives as instruments for citizenship and education. The research also relies on national archival regulations such as CNJ Resolution No. 324/2020 and TSE Resolution No. 23.379/2012, which affirm the importance of institutional memory within the Judiciary.

Among the main outcomes, the publication of the first three volumes of the Livros de Actas (1932, 1933, and 1935) stands out, with the final volumes (1936–1937) scheduled for completion. These volumes include paleographic transcriptions, digitized images, and technical notes that restore the documentary series according to its chronological and jurisdictional logic. The recovery of the series reinforces the fund’s legal, historical, and institutional value. The initiative received national recognition through the I Electoral Innovation Award (TSE, 2024), notably for the development of postcards with QR codes that expand digital access to the archive.

TRE-PB’s digital repository (atom.tre-pb.jus.br) hosts thousands of digitized documents, made available in open formats under a Creative Commons license. High-quality digitization and archival description make these documents accessible and useful to researchers, educators, public officials, and citizens. The Origens do TRE-PB institutional exhibition (2024) highlighted historical figures such as Joaquina Neves Meira and Anacleto Vitorino, enriching public memory and promoting the inclusion of marginalized groups.

Beyond preservation, the Projeto Origens invests in outreach and educational actions, integrating the archival collection into pedagogical practices in schools and universities. Initiatives include workshops, traveling exhibitions, and training programs for civil servants, reinforcing the social use of archives as tools for civic education and democratic engagement. The educational approach underlines the potential of archives as cultural and epistemological devices, aligned with human rights and the right to information.

A key limitation of the project is the irreversible loss of part of the original collection and the fragmentation caused by institutional discontinuity. Nevertheless, the recomposition strategy based on secondary sources and the technical validation of paleographic transcriptions helped mitigate the impact of these absences. The use of open-access technologies and rigorous indexing in digital platforms ensures not only preservation but the continuous expansion of public access.

This study reaffirms the importance of public memory policies and archival management strategies aligned with transparency and civic participation. By challenging dominant narratives and recognizing historically silenced subjects, the project repositions archives as living spaces of symbolic dispute and democratic construction. The recomposition of the TRE-PB Historical Archival Fund thus stands as a concrete example of how electoral archives can contribute to social justice, active citizenship, and the consolidation of democratic memory in Brazil.