Doculaires
Doculaires is a term used in some scholarly contexts to describe a mode or subgenre of documentary media that foregrounds documents and archival materials as the primary engine of storytelling. In this usage, the work is organized around the interpretation of evidence contained in manuscripts, letters, official records, photographs, databases, and other documentary artifacts, rather than rely solely on a conventional dramatization of events. The form often treats sources as active agents, presenting them with minimal editorial intrusion and inviting viewers to assess claims through visible documentation.
Key features include explicit sourcing and annotation, on-screen facsimiles or scans of documents, contextual captions, and
Relation to other forms: doculaires overlaps with archival filmmaking, found-footage practice, and docudrama but distinguishes itself
Origins and usage: the term is not universally defined and remains contested. It appears mainly in academic