Archives: Sources and Silences - MHIS700
Archival research is understood to be the foundation of the practice of professional historical inquiry. These various historical artefacts are considered our window onto past lives, experiences and processes. As any historian will admit, however, archives are always partial, incomplete and imperfect. So too, the processes by which certain kinds of knowledge is retained and other kinds of knowledge discarded, dismissed or concealed reveals the inherently politicized character of archival collection. This unit will critically and historically consider the relationship between the historian, archives and the past. How and when did modern “archives” emerge? What was their purpose? What are the implications for historical authority if we admit that the foundation of our disciplinary practice is always incomplete and partial? What new archives have emerged in late modernity? Is the internet one huge and unruly archive?
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| When Offered: | S2 Day - Session 2, North Ryde, Day |
| Staff Contact(s): | Dr Nicholas Baker |
| Prerequisites: |
Admission to MRes |
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| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations Faculty of Arts |
Course structures, including unit offerings, are subject to change.
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