Description:
This book facilitates a deeper understanding of the challenges of working with a range of specific source genres within imperial and colonial archives. Drawing material from a range of modern empires from the late 18th century to the present day, chapters consider the ways in which newer ways of thinking about the past have challenged more traditional views of 'the archive', provoking questions about what archives are and where their conceptual, geographical and chronological boundaries lie. Examining a wide selection of source material including government papers, censuses, petitions and case files, this book will be essential reading for students of imperial and colonial history.
Review Quotes:
"This wide-ranging collection explores the creation of colonial archives, their extent and limitations, and their use and misuse. It offers revealing case studies, as well as important theoretical and methodological insights for practitioners of the history of empire, from undergraduate students to senior scholars."
Robert Aldrich, University of Sydney, Australia
"Kirsty Reid and Fiona Paisley's provocative collection explores the myriad links between colonial archives, knowledge, and power. These essays transform the archive from a source for history into a historical subject of its own, revealing the many ways archives shaped - and continue to shape - the contours of empire and its legacies. Sources and Methods in Histories of Colonialism should be required reading for anyone who studies the history of empire."
J. P. Daughton, Stanford University, USA
"This book argues that decisions made by researchers surrounding appraisal and description of, and access to, archival materials via their scholarly products have a real-world impact on people and their identities. It serves as a timely reminder that archival decisions do as well."
Sarah R. Demb, Archival Issues