The ordinariness of the archive

This article argues that the notion of the archive is of some value for tho se interested in the history of the human sciences. Above all, the archive is a means of generating ethical and epistemological credibility. The artic le goes on to suggest that there are three aspects to modern archival reaso n: a principle of publicity whereby archival information is made available to some or other kind of public; a principle of singularity according to wh ich archival reason focuses upon questions of detail; and a principle of mu ndanity, whereby the privileged focus of archival reason is said to be the commonplace dimension of everyday life.