Archival theories and practices have long been central to scholarship on rhetorical history. With the emergence of technologies in digital archiving, however, and as rhetorical scholars have become involved in the construction of digital archives and exhibits, we increasingly recognize archives themselves as rhetorical entities. Staff members working in the Digital Archiving research area explore the technological, pedagogical and theoretical implications of such “rhetorical archives.” They will pose a range of questions, including: How do archives make arguments? How can digital archives help make materials accessible for people with disabilities? What resources can digital archives provide to activist rhetorics? What is the relationship of the archive to ideas of futurity, and how does thinking about the future shape the structure and content of digital archives?
Introducing Our Research Areas: Digital Archiving
