Michelle Caswell is Assistant Professor of Archival Studies at UCLA. Her current research explores the role of records and archival institutions in the construction of memory about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and traces a collection of mug shots taken at Tuol Sleng prison from their creation as bureaucratic documents, to their inclusion in archives, digitization, and use by survivors and the family members of victims to spark narratives about the regime and memorialize the dead.
Her research interests include: archival theory and practice; information ethics; the intersection of archival studies with social justice, human rights, and pluralism; community archives; the politics of accountability, ownership, and access; collective memory of violence; archival pedagogy; visual culture; and digital history. Her articles have appeared in Archival Science, Archivaria, American Archivist, The Journal of Documentation, InterActions, First Monday, and Libri .
Caswell is also the co-founder and a board member of the South Asian American Digital Archive (http://www.saadigitalarchive.org).