Surveillance, documentation and privacy: an international comparative analysis of state intelligence records

Wisser, Katherine M.; Blanco-Rivera, Joel A.

doi:10.1007/s10502-015-9240-x

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 20 publications

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“…For both activists and archivists, the systematic preservation and release of records perform truth telling purposes that are independent of their ability to advance scientific research. ‘When records of past surveillance and repression are made public’, Wisser & Blanco-Rivera (2016: 126) argue, ‘they take on new meaning. Initially used by the state as a means to control citizens and quell opposition, these records can become the evidence used by victims and their relatives for the purposes of accountability, memory making and truth seeking.’ Indeed, in the aftermath of a highly violent conflict, the release of archived documents can constitute an important component of truth and reconciliation processes, revealing to victims’ families what happened to their kin and providing important sources of evidence to prosecute perpetrators.…”

Section: Research From Conflict Archives: a Short Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

New findings from conflict archives

Balcells

Sullivan

2018

Journal of Peace Research

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As they pursue information and deploy violence during conflict, combatants compose, catalog, and preserve a wide variety of records, such as memos, investigative reports, and communiqués. In an increasing number of post-conflict scenarios, these records are being archived and released publicly, quickly becoming a critical new source of data for studies of peace and conflict. The objective of this special issue is to advance a new research agenda focused on the systematic analysis of conflict archives. The contributors each spent significant time collecting original data from often-dusty archives and, in many cases, developed new methodologies for sampling, cataloging, and analyzing historical documents. Their findings reveal how violence simultaneously shapes and is shaped by factors that remain largely unobservable using more conventional sources of conflict data, including clandestine mobilization, bureaucratic accountability, and political identities. By considering these studies in relation to one another, this introduction aims to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of field research strategies and analytical techniques for studying original data from conflict archives. We conclude that while archival data are subject to their own biases that must be considered, this research agenda addresses significant limitations associated with traditional data sources and, in turn, pushes scholars to rethink many of the mechanisms underlying the causes and dynamics of peace and conflict.

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Section: Research From Conflict Archives: a Short Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%