archival turn

The archival turn refers to an approach in cultural and social research where scholars focus on archives—collections of documents, records, and materials—to understand how societies, histories, and identities are shaped and maintained. Instead of relying solely on traditional narratives or texts, researchers examine these stored materials to uncover often overlooked perspectives, power dynamics, and cultural practices. This shift highlights the importance of material sources in interpreting the past and present, emphasizing that archives are active sites of meaning that influence how knowledge and memory are constructed and contested.