This paper is a reflection on the power of archives in driving research. Just as much as informants draw the attention of researchers to social patterns, archives do, too. Both archival and ethnographic research depends on the authority of written documents like field notes and official papers—even in the sociology of art. Archives consist mainly of papers about objects and property. I argue that the material turn in my work and the study of logistics as a form of power became important to me because of my archival experience. Sociologists recognize the importance of property as a driver of social relations of power, but they rarely study logistical power. I do, but only because the archives demonstrated its importance.

中文翻译：

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档案让我这样做

本文是对档案在推动研究中的力量的反思。正如线人将研究人员的注意力吸引到社会模式一样，档案馆也一样。档案和人种学研究都依赖于书面文件的权威性，如实地笔记和官方文件——即使在艺术社会学中也是如此。档案主要由关于物品和财产的文件组成。我认为，由于我的档案经验，我工作中的物质转向和对物流作为一种权力形式的研究对我来说变得很重要。社会学家认识到财产作为社会权力关系驱动因素的重要性，但他们很少研究后勤权力。我这样做，但这只是因为档案证明了它的重要性。