Aims and objectives
500 handwritten judicial records from the Archivo Histórico Judicial de Medellín (AHJM) in Colombia will be digitised for this project. These files date from 1708 to 1901, and cover various crimes and offenses related to women such as concubinage, seduction, abduction, sexual assault, abuse and abortion. This documentation sheds light on these ordinary women, their agency and their life experiences in a patriarchal society over an extended period. It also demonstrates the changes in the legal apparatus and the social condition of women, the forms of control over their bodies and gender-based violence.
Before being transferred to the University, the collection was exposed to environmental agents including variations in temperature and relative humidity, and pollutants like dust. Anthropogenic causes such as the transfer of material, poor safeguarding and improper handling also affected the material. The records were also affected by biological agents like insects, microorganisms including fungi and bacteria, and minor fauna such as rodents. Due to this exposure, the documents show deterioration such as abrasion, acidity, yellowing, carbonisation of the paper, insect excretions and tears.
