Archival ethnography

Stephanie Decker and Alan McKinlay

Chapter 11 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Historical Organisation Studies, 2026, pp 43-47 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Archival ethnography is a qualitative research approach that applies ethnographic methods and sensibilities to the study of archives and historical documents (Decker and McKinlay 2021). It treats archives as field sites and archival materials as artefacts of past social and organisational practices. This approach combines elements of historical research and ethnographic fieldwork to gain rich insights into past events, processes and cultural meanings through deep engagement with archival sources. Historical ethnography shares the anthropologist's commitment to ‘thick description’, to producing understanding through ‘richness, texture, and detail, rather than parsimony, refinement, and (in the sense used by mathematicians) elegance’ (Ortner 1995: 174).

Keywords: Archives; Historical research; Management studies; Organisational studies; Qualitative methods; Fieldwork (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332922
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