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Genealogy & Historical Sociology

Genealogy & Historical Sociology. Social Research Methods Claire Blencowe. Lecture Overview. History and Sociology Introducing Genealogy Theoretical Background to Genealogical Research Doing Genealogy Finding an issue Collecting data Analysing the data

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Genealogy & Historical Sociology

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  1. Genealogy & Historical Sociology Social Research Methods Claire Blencowe

  2. Lecture Overview • History and Sociology • Introducing Genealogy • Theoretical Background to Genealogical Research • Doing Genealogy • Finding an issue • Collecting data • Analysing the data • An example – health, masturbation and the physics of the family

  3. History & Sociology Sociologists look to history for many reasons • Learning from history • Using the benefit of hindsight to draw sociological conclusions • Using the past as a point of comparison • Making sense of the present – where do ‘we’ come from? • Challenging existent accounts of where we come from; challenging the understanding of what we now are • History as source of recognition, inspiration and empowerment

  4. Resources for Historical Sociology Accounts of History: Tell us about past experience Enable us to look at social-construction of past societies Also - Contribute to the construction of the present

  5. Introducing Genealogy • A form of post-structuralist discourse analysis • Discourse = power-knowledge • Look at the history of discourse • Especially interested in values and norms of behaviour • Accounts of history are multiple & contested • Demonstrate that values are socially constructed and contingent • Change our relationship to current values • History of the present

  6. Genealogy: theoretical background Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) The Genealogy of Morals Beyond Good and Evil • Morals are historical, ‘social-constructions’ • Dispersed and dubious origins of all morals • Power and conquest (not God or truth) determines morals • Dominant Christian values encourage ugliness, servility and repression of creativity and nobility • Making the multiple dark and dubious history of morals visible frees us from ‘good and evil’, to pursue noble beautiful life

  7. Genealogy: theoretical background Michel Foucault (1926-1984) The Birth of the Clinic The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences The History of Sexuality • Discourse = power-knowledge • Explored history of social values and norms such as health, reason, truth, normality, freedom, security • Values are constructed in multiple and dubious ways • Values (and dominant accounts of where they come from) reflect and maintain power relationships

  8. Dominant account of origin of ‘freedom’ OR OR

  9. Genealogical account of origins of ‘freedom’ and and and and and and and and

  10. Some areas of sociology in which genealogical research is popular • Sociology of Health and Medicine • Sociology of Law (socio-legal studies) • Sociology of Sexuality • Sociology of Security • Sociology of Politics (especially neo-liberalism) See additional reading list for examples Questioning dominant values Revealing and challenging power-knowledge Making us more ‘free’ and more responsible with respect to our values

  11. Doing Genealogy 1: finding an issue • Choose value or norm that is often treated as natural, inevitable, universal or beyond question • For example - health, life, freedom, individuality or ‘being-yourself’, reason, security, representative democracy • Identify an institution or discursive context where that value or norm is established or protected • Identify a discursive ‘event’: when the value/norm was created or recognised, or changed, or institutionalised in a new way... • E.g. Development of modern western medicine • E.g. Development of new type of medical treatment; identification of a new medical condition; change in definition of good health

  12. Doing Genealogy 2: collecting data • Read around the topic History books on the discursive context • E.g. Books on the history of medicine Read widely around the topic • E.g. Books on political history of the time that you are looking at; fictional literature; history books on related themes; existing sociological literature • Identify and explore an archive Sources that can provide alternative perspectives on the topic; silenced or ignored accounts of what could or should have been; sites of minority voices, arguments and debate

  13. Doing Genealogy 2: collecting data • Newspaper archives • Library copies • Online archives of particular papers • www.britishperiodicals.chadwick.co.uk (use ‘institutional login’) • Public records • Court proceedings (County Records Office, Warwick; National Archives, Kew, Richmond; www.oldbaleyonline.org up to 1913) • Parliamentary records (www.hansard-archive.parliament.uk) • Policy documents

  14. Doing Genealogy 2: collecting data • Modern Records Centre (university library) • http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ • Archives of social and political history, e.g. Of trade unions and political movements • Books Presenting Minority Perspectives • Fictional literature (e.g. Postcolonial literature) • Published diaries • Oral Histories • Museum or library collections • Make your own! (e.g. life-history interviews)

  15. Doing Genealogy 3: analysing the data Identifying multiple histories of the value/norm Highlighting the discursive construction of the value/norm • What are the mainstream accounts of the origin of the value or the discursive event? • What alternative accounts can we find in the archive(s)? • How can we show that this value is socially constructed and historically contingent? • What different values, ideals or desires are there around this issue? • What value system was in play before the discursive event?

  16. Doing Genealogy 3: analysing the data Explaining the event (the emergence, transformation or institutionalisation of the value/norm) in terms of power relations or political strategies? • Was the event accompanied by a change in who has power? • Are there any power struggles that took place at the same moment as the discursive event, that might help to explain it? • Are there any parallels between the specific history of values and the general political history at the time? • Whose perspective on the event has become the dominant, mainstream view? • Whose accounts of the issues have been silenced in the official history?

  17. Doing genealogy: an exampleAbnormal (Foucault, 2003)

  18. Seminar Preparation *Bring alaptopto the seminar if possible* Reading • Dean: an example of genealogical thinking around the issue of war and security (you could choose another example from the additional reading list instead) • Foucault: ‘Questions of Method’ – philosophical reflections on what it’s all about more than practical advice • ‘Highly recommended readings’ include more in the way of practical advice for future reference

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