Archives and Archiving in the 21st Century edited by Radhika Seshan (published by Routledge in 2025) is an exploration of the evolving concept of archives, that is, the changes and continuities in the way archives have been (re)imagined in historical and anthropological debates, especially within the Indian context. The volume comprises contributions from interdisciplinary scholars whose specialisations span social sciences, literature, performing arts, and digital forensics. These contributions address both the conventional understanding of archives as repositories of official documents, as well as the emerging, more unconventional forms such as digital and performative archives.

This volume is an important read for scholars of history, archival studies, and interdisciplinary research within the social sciences. By bridging conventional and unconventional archival practices, the book probes us to rethink archives beyond a collection of documents, urging us to rather reflect on how they can be reconceptualised to nuance our understanding of the past and the present.

The book containing thirteen chapters begins with an introductory one by Seshan. It is divided into three parts: Documents, Historiographies; Visual and Literary; and, Emerging Archives. Each part identifies a broad category wherein the encompassing chapters reflect the idea, the form and the function of the chosen archival imagination. Part I, containing chapters 2-6, focuses on historical documents and archival methodologies. Ishrat Alam uses Dutch East India Company records to reconstruct pre-modern Indian economic histories, offering a nuanced perspective on colonial archival sources. Ruby Maloni’s “Demystification and Digitisation: India Office Records in the British Library” critiques the accessibility and digitisation of the India Office Records, while Rila Mukherjee interrogates historiographical practices, questioning the assumptions of objectivity and static archives. This is followed by Avanish Patil’s reassessment of history writing through the colonial archives by interrogating the process of archival production, and Abdurahiman Thottekkat’s exploration of the intersection of colonial archives, local narratives, and popular perceptions in the case of Mysorean invasions in Kerala. These essays effectively highlight the constructed nature of archives.

Part II, encompassing chapters 7-10, broadens the scope of archives to include visual arts, literature, and oral traditions. M. N. Rajesh’s study of Tibetan archives critiques ideological framing, particularly in the context of contested histories between Chinese and Tibetan narratives. Chandrani Chatterjee’s chapter examines literature as an archive, arguing that fiction can serve as a repository of historical and social memory. Radhika Seshan’s “Nationalism, Historiography, and Literature: Water and Chola History” does well to methodologically demonstrate and build on the theoretical claims laid down by Chatterjee through a contextual analysis of Tamil writer Kalki’s historical fiction Ponniyin Selvan (1955). Suchandra Ghosh’s work treats sculptures of stone and clay from early India as an archive to help us understand the practices of everyday life. These contributions enrich the discussion by exploring how non-textual media expand archival possibilities.

Part III comprising chapters 11-13 explores unconventional archives, including oral histories, digital platforms, and performance art. Sushruti Santhanam examines Jati Puranas and genealogical singing as archives of social memory, emphasising their performative and integrative dimensions. Sulakshana Sen’s study of Uday Shankar’s film Kalpana (1948) highlights performance as a dynamic archival medium, while Shweta A. Chawla critiques the fragility of digital archives from a forensic investigator’s perspective. This section effectively underscores the challenges and opportunities of integrating non-conventional archives into mainstream historiography.

To now offer some of my perspectives on the volume, I would like to begin with the title. Archives and Archiving in the 21st Century bring three elements together– archives as an epistemic entity, archiving as an act, and the 21st century. While the volume complicates the understanding of both the ‘object’ that is an archive and the act of archiving, what struck me was the demarcation of the 21st century which remained murky even after I finished reading through the book. It brought forth questions such as– why did the author choose to focus on this particular period? What makes this quarter of a century a fecund space for analysis? In other words, what are the changes and the continuities which mark the beginning of the 21st century meriting scholarly attention? These are some questions which scholars who work in the various areas which the volume brings together may perhaps mull over. Secondly, the volume interestingly makes a significant contribution to current debates on reformulating archival practices by foregrounding Indian and postcolonial contexts. It challenges dominant Eurocentric archival imagination and aligns with broader global movements, such as discussions around decolonisation. Thirdly, the volume’s emphasis on emerging archives is particularly relevant as well as urgent, probing readers to consider the transience of digital data and the embodied nature of oral histories and performances. And lastly, the book occasionally prioritizes description over analysis. While the diversity of themes is commendable, some essays could delve deeper into the methodological implications of their findings. But one cannot fault an edited volume for not delving deeper since the aim here seems to be to cover a breadth of topics instead, thereby making it an essential read for anyone seeking to get an overall sense of the field. On the whole, the volume succeeds in its goal of rethinking archives as active, contested, and interdisciplinary sites of knowledge production.

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Akshika Goel is pursuing an M.A. in Research (Sociology) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai.