Publisher Description

Historians have become increasingly sensitive to social and cultural theory since the 1980s, yet the actual methods by which research is carried out in History have been largely taken for granted. Research Methods for History encourages those researching the past to think creatively about the wide range of methods currently in use, to understand how these methods are used and what historical insights they can provide. This updated new edition has been expanded to cover not only sources and methods that are well-established in History, such as archival research, but also those that have developed recently, such as the impact of digital history research. The themes of the different chapters have been selected to reflect new trends in the subject, including landscape studies, material culture and ethics. Every chapter presents new insights and perspectives and will open researchers' minds to the expanding possibilities of historical research.

Back Cover

RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIESGENERAL EDITOR: GABRIELE GRIFFINDesigned to serve postgraduate students and academics teaching research methods, this series provides discipline-specific volumes which explore the possibilities and limitations of a range of research methods applicable to the subject in question.A wide-ranging critical survey of methods for historical research at all levelsHistorians have become increasingly sensitive to social and cultural theory since the 1980s, yet the actual methods by which research is carried out in History have been largely taken for granted. Research Methods for History encourages those researching the past to think creatively about the wide range of methods currently in use, to understand how these methods are used and what historical insights they can provide. This updated new edition has been expanded to cover not only sources and methods that are well-established in History, such as archival research, but also those that have developed recently, such as digital history research. The themes of the different chapters have been selected to reflect new trends in the subject, including landscape studies, material culture and ethics. Every chapter presents new insights and perspectives and opens researchers' minds to the expanding possibilities of historical research.Key Features* International scope* Encourages methodological comparison across time periods* Encourages historians at all levels to think critically and creatively* Transferable methodological skills useful for English Studies, Geography, Archaeology and Cultural StudiesSimon Gunn is a Professor of Urban History in the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester. His publications include History and Cultural Theory (2006) and The Public Culture of the Victorian Middle Class (2000). He is joint editor of the journal, Urban History. Lucy Faire is an Honorary Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Urban History and Lecturer in Humanities and Arts in the Vaughan Centre for Lifelong Learning, both at the University of Leicester. She specialises in the history of home, leisure and behaviour. She is the co-author of The Place of the Audience: Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption (2003).[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN 978-1-4744-0876-9[barcode]

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RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIESGENERAL EDITOR: GABRIELE GRIFFINDesigned to serve postgraduate students and academics teaching research methods, this series provides discipline-specific volumes which explore the possibilities and limitations of a range of research methods applicable to the subject in question.A wide-ranging critical survey of methods for historical research at all levelsHistorians have become increasingly sensitive to social and cultural theory since the 1980s, yet the actual methods by which research is carried out in History have been largely taken for granted. Research Methods for History encourages those researching the past to think creatively about the wide range of methods currently in use, to understand how these methods are used and what historical insights they can provide.This updated new edition has been expanded to cover not only sources and methods that are well-established in History, such as archival research, but also those that have developed recently, such as digital history research. The themes of the different chapters have been selected to reflect new trends in the subject, including landscape studies, material culture and ethics. Every chapter presents new insights and perspectives and opens researchers' minds to the expanding possibilities of historical research.Key Features* International scope* Encourages methodological comparison across time periods* Encourages historians at all levels to think critically and creatively* Transferable methodological skills useful for English Studies, Geography, Archaeology and Cultural StudiesSimon Gunn is a Professor of Urban History in the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester. His publications include History and Cultural Theory (2006) and The Public Culture of the Victorian Middle Class (2000). He is joint editor of the journal, Urban History.Lucy Faire is an Honorary Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Urban History and Lecturer in Humanities and Arts in the Vaughan Centre for Lifelong Learning, both at the University of Leicester. She specialises in the history of home, leisure and behaviour. She is the co-author of The Place of the Audience: Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption (2003).[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN 978-1-4744-0876-9[barcode]

Author Biography

Lucy Faire is Honorary Fellow in the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester. She specialises in the history of home and leisure. She is the co-author with Mark Jancovich of The Place of the Audience: Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption (BFI, 2003). Simon Gunn is Professor of Urban History in the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester. He has taught and studied research methods in Historical Studies for a number of years. His publications include History and Cultural Theory (Longman, 2006) and The Public Culture of the Victorian Middle Class (MUP, 2000). He is joint editor of the Cambridge University Press journal, Urban History and co-editor with James Vernon of The Peculiarities of Liberal Modernity in Imperial Britain (University of California Press, 2010).

Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgements List of Figures and Tables Preface to the Second Edition 1., Introduction: Why Bother with Method?, Simon Gunn and Lucy Faire Part 1, The Essentials 2., Working With/In the Archives, Michelle T. King 3., Approaching Visual Materials, Ludmilla Jordanova 4., Material Culture, Alan Mayne 5., Landscape and Place, Jo Guldi Part 2, Researching Individuals and Groups 6., Collective Biography, Krista Cowman 7., Life Stories and Historical Analysis, Alistair Thomson Part 3, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis 8., GIS, Spatial Technologies and Digital Mapping, Keith D. Lilley and Catherine Porter 9., Document to Database and Spreadsheet , R. J. Morris 10., Digital Research, Bob Nicholson Part 4, Deciphering Meanings 11., Reading Language as a Historical Source, Julie-Marie Strange 12., Analysing Behaviour as Performance, Simon Gunn Part 5, Rethinking Categories 13., Ethics and Historical Research, William Gallois 14., Time, Temporality and History, Prashant Kidambi Notes on Contributors Index

Long Description

Historians have become increasingly sensitive to social and cultural theory since the 1980s, yet the actual methods by which research is carried out in History have been largely taken for granted. Research Methods for History encourages those researching the past to think creatively about the wide range of methods currently in use, to understand how these methods are used and what historical insights they can provide. This updated new edition has been expanded to cover not only sources and methods that are well-established in History, such as archival research, but also those that have developed recently, such as the impact of digital history research. The themes of the different chapters have been selected to reflect new trends in the subject, including landscape studies, material culture and ethics. Every chapter presents new insights and perspectives and will open researchers' minds to the expanding possibilities of historical research.

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A wide-ranging critical survey of methods for historical research at all levels

Description for Reader

A wide-ranging critical survey of methods for historical research at all levels Historians have become increasingly sensitive to social and cultural theory since the 1980s, yet the actual methods by which research is carried out in History have been largely taken for granted. Research Methods for History encourages those researching the past to think creatively about the wide range of methods currently in use, to understand how these methods are used and what historical insights they can provide. This updated new edition has been expanded to cover not only sources and methods that are well-established in History, such as archival research, but also those that have developed recently, such as the impact of digital history research. The themes of the different chapters have been selected to reflect new trends in the subject, including landscape studies, material culture and ethics. Every chapter presents new insights and perspectives and will open researchers' minds to the expanding possibilities of historical research. Key features International scope Encourages methodological comparison across time-periods Encourages historians at all levels to think critically and creatively Transferable methodological skills useful for English Studies, Geography, Archaeology and Cultural Studies Contributors Krista Cowman, University of Lincoln Lucy Faire, University of Leicester William Gallois, University of Exeter Jo Guldi, Brown University Simon Gunn, University of Leicester Ludmilla Jordanova, Durham University Prashant Kidambi, University of Leicester Michelle T. King, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Keith Lilley, Queen's University Belfast Alan Mayne, University of South Australia and University of Leicester R. J. Morris, University of Edinburgh Bob Nicholson, Edge Hill University Catherine Porter, Lancaster University Julie-Marie Strange, University of Manchester Alistair Thomson, Monash University

Feature

International scope Encourages methodological comparison across time-periods Encourages historians at all levels to think critically and creatively Transferable methodological skills useful for English Studies, Geography, Archaeology and Cultural Studies

Description for Sales People

This updated edition brings to the student the sources, techniques and concepts needed for effective historical research in both the physical and digital archives. Each chapter introduces a different research method. These range from the established, such as archival research, to the less widely known, such as GIS (Geographical Information Systems), and recent trends, such as textual analysis and material culture studies. The contributors explain how each method can be applied to different historical subjects and periods New chapters bringing the subject into the digital world Spans all periods, from the medieval to the modern

Description for Teachers/Educators

Undergraduate: Making History (Northumbria) History Skills 1 (Suffolk) Renaissance Research project (Warwick) ? Postgraduate: Contemporary History in Practice (Kings College London) Research Methods in the Humanities (Glyndwr) Doing Research (UC Davis, USA) Digital History (Canterbury NZ) ?

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