Les archives de l’ANSMI (Associazione nazionale per soccorrere i Missionari italiani): (Re) découverte d’un fonds, projet de préservation et perspectives de recherche

Several research projects have highlighted the important role played by the Associazione Nazionale per soccorrere i Missionari Italiani (ANSMI, National Association for Assistance to Italian Missionaries) at a time of imperial rivalry in the Mediterranean. The wealth of documentary resources the association possesses is still insufficiently known, not least on account of the difficulty accessing and consulting them. This article proposes to report on the ANSMI’s archives, their conservation status, their use, as well as any inventory taking, classifying and cataloguing carried out as part of a project aimed at their preservation. By highlighting the potential of the association’s archives to renew the history of the Italian presence in the Mediterranean, we intend to contribute to the debate on the importance of private archives for historical knowledge.