This paper attempts to discuss the methodology for media history by considering
the significance and limitations of multi-archival research. For several
decades, much interdisciplinary attention has been paid to multi-archival
research not only in the field of history but also political science, international
relations, and sociology. Multi-archival research became a popular and significant
method because it promoted the declassification of documents in archives
around the world after the end of the Cold War. This popular method has been
applied to the discipline of media history and it has provided a significant key
to opening a new dimension of its history in Japan at home and abroad.
For researchers who intend to conduct research using a multi-archival
approach, this paper aims to provide some information that was acquired
through my own archival research experience. It focuses on the following three
aspects. First, how my research interests spread beyond borders from Japan to
Korea, the U.S., China, the U.K., and so on, including how I recognized the usefulness
and significance of multi-archival research. Second, what we need to be
careful of when attempting to conduct multi-archival research and analyze
archival documents. Third, how we can utilize archives to gather documents
more efficiently. To answer these questions, this paper provides archival information
on the U.S., the ROK, the DPRK, Taiwan and the U.K.
The scope of this paper attempts to contribute to the argument,“ how can
we open a new dimension of media history by utilizing something new or old methods?”
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