Volume II - The Provenance-Suppression Model: An Architectural-Epistemic Framework

This paper presents the Provenance-Suppression Model (PSM), an architectural-epistemic framework describing how provenance visibility may decline while operational, symbolic, institutional, or narrative continuity persists. The model proposes that provenance visibility functions as a primary epistemic variable governing the transition from direct reconstruction to inferential reconstruction. The framework integrates three analytical layers: the Concealment Layer, the Epistemic Layer, and the Recovery and Validation Layer. Together these layers describe the production, maintenance, and recovery of provenance opacity. The model is intended as a general framework for analyzing obscured origins rather than as an explanation of any specific historical case.