ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we treat historical documents/artifacts and archival records as entrance points into examinations of education using Critical Race Theory (CRT). The methodological approach described relies heavily on locating the significance of both the existence and absence of documentation as source material, and the researcher’s interpretation of that documentation or lack thereof. While archival records represent transactions, and related historical documents and manuscripts provide additional information regarding those dealings, this chapter explores how those resources intersect with issues of race and power with educational research. Borrowing historiographic methods, the research process from collection to dissemination is diagrammed in a way that optimizes the use of CRT in educational and historical scholarship. Contextualized through the theoretical lens of CRT, educational research by way of archival records and historical documents is unpacked in the revelation of power, politics, race, and class.
