22. Archival methods

Archival methods involve using records of the past to understand historical dimensions of social relationships, economic processes, the production of spaces/places, migration, the physical environment and other geographic topics of interest. Environmental researchers have blended diverse methods and data sources across the human-physical spectrum to weave together meaningful, synthesized interpretations of social and natural phenomena. Researchers should exercise caution when investigating the past through the traces left behind, but the spirit of ‘detective work’ is one of the benefits of such research.