Critical approaches to archiving and recordkeeping in the continuum

Records Continuum scholarship is increasingly engaging with critical and participatory approaches to research and practice, “questioning the social constructs, values and power differentials embedded in current recordkeeping infrastructure exploring archival and recordkeeping agency, autonomy and activism, and moving beyond insight and critique with the aim of bringing about transformative outcomes.^”1 In this paper, we identify the key characteristics of these approaches with reference to the suite of research projects that make up the Archives and the Rights of the Child program. We explore how Records Continuum, theory, models and constructs complement, frame, and support critical archiving and recordkeeping theorizing and practice. We propose an expansive definition of critical archiving and recordkeeping;one that moves beyond academy-centred, normative critiques and goal-setting to embrace transformative, participatory research and practice, which is particularly relevant to the integrated archiving and recordkeeping needs of individuals and communities.