This article explores critical archival studies as an emerging trend in the archival field, analyzing its relationship with domain analysis (DA), a methodological-theoretical approach within knowledge organization (KO). The objectives are: 1) to position critical archival studies as a research area of interest for KO, and 2) to evaluate their potential as an emergent domain according to DA. The methodology employed was a literature review, prioritizing seminal works on DA, critical archival studies, and their theoretical intersection. The findings highlight that critical archival studies, conceptualized as a theoretical-practical trend, aim to transform archival dynamics through critical perspectives but face challenges in its theoretical, institutional, and intellectual structuring, complicating its classification as a traditional domain. This prompts a discussion about characterizing critical archival studies as an emergent domain, understood as a type of domain in the phase of specialization and formation that features three main characteristics: 1) conceptual and epistemological heterogeneity, 2) developing organizational structures, and 3) consolidation potential. The study concludes that KO is a key discipline for supporting the establishment of emergent domains like critical archival studies, addressing both their external structures (e.g., groups, institutions) and internal structures (e.g., theories, discourses). This analysis broadens the discussion on emergent domains and strengthens the study of critical archival studies as a field in development.