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SoSe 21: Archival research as a method in political science

Sophia Hoffmann

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This very practically oriented course will introduce students to archival research as a method for academic enquiry. At the end of the course, students will have a good idea about how to approach archives as a source for empirical material, how to look for specific information in archives and how to organize and analyse archival documents. The course will combine shorter, weekly Webex-sessions with individual and group exercises that students can carry out at their own pace. Luckily, many archives offer digital collections, of which we will make ample use. The course will introduce students to many different archives and will also provide participants with the know-how required to look for additional archives, out there, in the vast, international archival universe. In addition to practical skills, which will be taught via frequent hands-on exercises, students will also receive theoretical training in archival methodology, and gain an understanding of why archives are always an expression of power relations and often the result of conflict and struggles. The course takes a critical, power-aware approach to archives and will also include some of the more theoretically-complex, post-colonial writings about archives. Archives are the closest that humans have gotten to inventing the time machine, and this course aims to convey some of the magic and glory, as well as the tragedy and shame, that archival researchers may experience. close