Landmark Essays on Archival Research

This collection gathers over twenty years of essays addressing archival research methodologies and methods. The selection of essays found within, presented chronologically, bring forward the theories and practices that define this essential form of scholarly inquiry. They allow readers to get a sense of how scholars have articulated archival research over the last twenty years, giving them insight into the shifts research methods have undergone given emerging technologies, changing notions of access, emerging concerns about issues of positionality and representation, fluid definitions of what constitutes an archive, and the place of archival research in hybrid research methods.

The last twenty years witnessed a wealth of scholarship both employing archival research methodologies and addressing issues associated with this method. The recent recognition and remapping of rhetorical terrain is dependent upon revisiting primary and canonical materials with a new set of research questions in mind, understanding and mining a broader range of archives than heretofore considered, and making use of new technologies to expand the scope and possibilities inherent in the study of rhetoric and composition.

Primary, archival investigation leads to novel insights and publications, and has a place in most of the research being conducted by compositions and rhetoric scholars. This volume will chart the recent historical trends of archival methodologies and suggest future directions for research.