Introduction: Archive Memories

Abstract: This special issue draws attention to the place of archives in the study of early modern performance. The introduction establishes key concerns shared by the six articles, including the relationship between theorizations of the archive and its material reality, the politics of archival preservation, and unequal access to archival knowledge. It begins with reflections on the process of visiting the elaborately defended Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, using this anecdote as a provocation for questions about access, and as a starting point for broader questions about the relationship between ephemeral performance, memory, and documentary or material remnants.