Getting the Archive to Speak

In this introduction to the problem of the archive in theory and practice, we will consider basic challenges historians have confronted over the past half-century, examples of the resulting research strategies, and their advantages and limitations. What constitutes rigorous, ethical historical practice? How can we interpret fragmentary, partial, or misleading sources? What stories can - and should - we try to tell? We will draw on notable works in the historiographies of Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas.