The Digital Panopticon: Contemporary Investigative Methods in Historical Research

In this contribution, Godfrey highlights the importance of the digital revolution in expanding access to historical documents. Through projects such as the Digital Panopticon, digitisation has not only aided academic research but also enabled citizen investigation. Using a number of life history examples, the author illustrates the value of data democratisation, but also warns of issues that arise when autobiographies contradict official records. Godfrey ends by noting that, whilst invaluable – particularly given the closure of physical archives during the pandemic – digital archives should be an addition, not a substitute, for archival study.