One defining feature of the modern era has been the significance given to the archive in all its documentary forms - official, collective or personal - as the means by which historical knowledge and memory are collected, stored and recovered. It has thus emerged as a key site of enquiry in fields such as anthropology, critical theory, history, and especially recent art. The first title in the "Documents of Contemporary Art" series, this publication includes writings by Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault, Hal Foster and many others, and essays on the archival practice of such artists as Gerhard Richter, Susan Hiller, Ilya Kabakov, Christian Boltanski, Renee Green, and The Atlas Group.