Public memory is how a collective uses physical space to commemorate a shared history. Public memory is communicated through the creation of public memorials, commemorations, the naming of streets, or public art. Public memory can also be the embodied practice of commemorating the anniversary of an important event through holidays and celebrations or political protest through public gatherings or graffiti. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada addresses public memory in their Calls to Action. These call upon heritage organizations and all levels of government to work collaboratively with Indigenous communities and artists to create highly visible and accessible forms of public commemoration dedicated to the legacy of residential schools in Canada.
Changing public memory is complex because it is often a struggle for power over historical narratives. Archives are similar in being contested spaces where memory is forged and sometimes forgotten. This similarity is how the theory and practices of archives can be used as a space to guide public memory in achieving the Calls to Action surrounding commemoration. This thesis explores how settlers in Canada have used public memory to legitimize their claims to land and falsify history to create a narrative of peace in colonial history. A case study of the public memory found in Kenora, Ontario, reveals how settlers communicate public memory. This thesis then explores how public memory can be decolonized through archives and how archives can support public memory. Using The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, The Joinet-Orentlicher Principles, and the United Nations Report of the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights as a guide, this thesis highlights how public memory intersects with archives, and how it should be changed, created, and negotiated.