Critical method of document analysis

Abstract

While critical methods have gained popularity in recent times, analysis of documents remains an under-explored area for developing methods of elevating the perspectives of oppressed populations. This is important given the agentic role documents play in systemic and institutionalized oppression. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to use a critical paradigmatic approach, combined with hermeneutic and phenomenological procedures, to develop the Critical Method of Document Analysis (CMDA). This four-stage method is developed using an exemplar study examining historical tools of oppression in a Southern metropolitan area’s city-planning documents. CMDA provides a systematic process for investigating documents using the perspectives of marginalized communities. The article concludes with a discussion of the significance, limitations, and implications of CMDA.

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