José María “Pichi” Meisegeier’s Human Habitat Archive and Library

Abstract

This paper recounts the process of creation of the Archive and Library of José María Meisegeier, who was its mentor and organizer.  The Archive and Library are focused on matters concerning urban and rural low-income social habitats. First, the article presents a brief biography of father Meisegeier, a Jesuit priest who devoted over four decades of his life to work with the poorest social groups in an effort to improve their dwelling conditions.

Father Meisegeier’s archive includes diferent sections: a press media file; institutional and private reports; national and international correspondence; publications (magazines, brochures, posters, etc.) and books, among other things. It also contains material related to other aspects of actual social and economic conditions in Argentina, which led low-income groups to occupy buildings, warehouses or plots of land. Since the 1980s this archive has been a source of reference for researchers (historians, architects, social workers), journalists and government officers interested in these matters, and since José M. Meisegeier’s death in 2011 it has been held by the Self-Managed Communities Liaison Office (SEDECA), a Non Governmental Organization that he created.