Resum

The National Archives (TNA) holds an extensive collection of material related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. This includes cabinet papers and records documenting the government response, public health campaigns and scientific research, and records connected with the many intersections between the government and governmental bodies and the spread and effects of the virus. TNA’s records tell a limited story of the spread of HIV in the UK. As official documents of the state, they rarely convey anything of the lived experiences and emotions of people who lived with or in proximity to the virus. Such histories are often preserved elsewhere, by voluntary groups and in community archives. Though they offer different takes on historical facts, both are necessary and valuable. Preserving records, evidence, stories and feelings, however, doesn’t contribute solely to the work of memory. To achieve this researching, exploring, using and engaging with these documents is also fundamental.