The document in the mirror of postcolonialism: institutionalisation of the records management system in Post-Independence Ukraine

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the main stages of the institutionalisation of the Ukrainian records management system and to relate them to the three levels of colonialism. Design/methodology/approach The identification of colonialism in power structures, colonialism of being and colonialism of knowledge, is based on the methodology reflected in the works of Jimenez, Vannini and Cox. Findings In the course of the study, the authors came to the conclusion that the promoters of the creation of a national system of records management in Ukraine did not make a decisive break with the colonial past. From a practical point of view, the paper can serve as a basis for the development of conceptual documents in the sphere of the decolonisation of records management in the states that emerged in the post-imperial space. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed paper is the first attempt to analyse the process of establishment of the records management system in Ukraine from the point of view of postcolonial theory.