Applying Archival Methods and Methodologies to Public Open Records

Peitho Volume 21 Issue 2 Spring 2019

Author(s): Jessica Estep

Abstract: This article examines the public comments citizens submit to local government agencies and explains how those texts can be incorporated into archival research practices. The central case study traces the processes a statewide government agency—the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)— undertook to solicit citizen feedback about a major public works project and the two thousand comments that GDOT received in response. Through a rhetorical analysis of these texts, the author argues that feminist scholars have a responsibility to encourage transparency in public engagement processes by accessing and analyzing open records, offering up competing narratives when possible.

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