This book offers a practical guide to analysing a wide range of documents, from identity papers to social media. Featuring case studies from international experts, it explores key methodologies, real-world applications, and strategies for integrating document analysis into research. A must-read for students and researchers.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction - Aimee Grant and Helen Kara
Part I. Understanding the Past
2. Documentary Theatre as Participatory Social Research - Katarzyna Niziołek
3. Music and Sound in Documents: A Case Study of Music and Asylum History - Rosemary Golding
4. Folklore in Asian Martial Arts: Using Documents to Test the Theory of Martial Creation - George Jennings
Part II. Exploring the Machinery of Governance
5. Using Government Inquiry Documents in Research to Raise Voices Suppressed by Non-Disclosure Agreements - Victoria Pagan
6. Investigating Identity Documents Through Historical Ethnography - José Ragas
7. From Public Document to Engaging Experiences: Arts-Based Research and Knowledge Translation - Abigail Winter, Sarah Johnstone, Jen Seevinck, T.J. Thomson and Evonne Miller
Part III. Using Official Documents
8. Reflections on Using Charity Annual Reporting Data to Consider Questions of Representation - Helen Abnett
9. Unequal Bureaucracies in Practice: Analysing Documents Using Institutional Ethnography - Órla Meadhbh Murray
10. Using Documents in Research During Periods of Conflict and Political Turbulence - Anna J. Davis
Part IV. Exploring the Personal
11. Impactful Inquiry: How Insider Knowledge Enhances the Real-World Relevance of Research with Documents - Ella Houston
12. The Social Conditions of Possibility: Reading Medical Records as Documents of Practice - Max Edward Perry
13. Curating COVID-19: Creating an Illustrated Digital Archive with Diary and Interview Research Data - Kate Carruthers Thomas
14. Conclusion - Helen Kara and Aimee Grant
About the Author :
Aimee Grant is Senior Lecturer in Public Health and a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow, researching gender, disability and health, at Swansea University.
Helen Kara is a researcher, author, teacher, and speaker specialising in creative research methods, radical research ethics and creative academic writing.
Review :
“A fascinating resource for researchers seeking to use documents for original research. The case studies illustrate a range of disciplines and topics, providing valuable insight into the rationale, methodology and methods of this rich and often overlooked data.” Helen Lomax, Sheffield Hallam University
“This collection doesn't just teach document analysis – it revolutionizes it. From conflict zones to digital archives, these scholars push methodological boundaries, equipping researchers with cutting-edge skills for today's complex documentary landscape.” Narelle Lemon, Edith Cowan University and Explore & Create Co.
