10.04.04 on historical sociology

1

What is Historical Sociology?

Nick Wilson—Berkeley SociologySoc 5—Evaluation of Evidence

April 13, 2010

2

Roadmap

1. Introduction2. Data3. Substance4. Analysis5. Explanation6. Coda

3

Roadmap


4

What is Historical Sociology?

• Simple answer:The sub-discipline of sociology that attempts to mount social-scientific analysis of the human past

• Begs the question

Why would you want to?

5

Why Care?

• All of the founders of the discipline were historical sociologists– Weber– Durkheim– Marx

6Max Weber (1864-1920)

7Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

8Karl Marx (1818-1883)

9Karl Marx (1818-1883)

10Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

11Richard Marx (b. 1963)

12Karl Marx (1818-1883)

13

Why Care?

• All of the founders of the discipline were historical sociologists– Weber– Marx– Durkheim

• Conservative count: 7 of the last 12 years of the ASA Best Book award have gone to historical sociology

14

Lecture Themes

1. Complexity– Instead, family resemblance

• What do things we call historical sociology share?

2. Hybridity– Science

• Gathers generalizeable knowledge about the social world

– Humanities• Uncovers the meaning of being human

3. Particularity/Generality– Particular events?

• The American Revolution as a singular event

– General patterns?• Revolutions in general, with the American Revolution as an example

15

Roadmap


16

Sources

Two major families• Primary Data– Produced by the historical actors or during the

episode under study

17Magna Carta (1215 C. E.)

18

East India Company Court of Director’s Patronage Ledger (19th Century, India Office Records, London)

19John Speed World Map (1626?)

20James Cape

21

James Cape’s Slave Narrative, Transcribed during the Federal Writer’s Project, 1936-1938

22

Sources

Two major families• Primary Data– Produced by the historical actors or during the

episode under study– Usually found in archives

24

Sources

Two major families• Primary Data– Produced by the historical actors or during the episode

under study– Usually found in archives

• Secondary Data– Produced after the historical episode by scholars.– Historical monographs

• Specialized texts exploring an episode in great depth

– Usually found in libraries

25

How Are Sources Used?

• Scholars read primary and secondary texts for information about the past

• Judging what the text says and doesn’t say• Construct as accurate a picture of possible of

past events

27

Roadmap


28

Substance (I): Focal Object

Western Capitalist Modernity

29

Substance (II): Capitalism

30

Substance (III): The State

31

Substance (IV): Civil Society

32

Substance (V): Science and Culture

33

Substance (VI): Civility and the Self

35

Roadmap


36

Analysis: Time Matters!

The passage of time is analytically central 1. The past gives more data about rare events– Example: Revolutions

2. The past constrains the present– QWERTY keyboards

3. Events in the past constrain AND enable– The French revolution

37

Roadmap


38

Methods of Explanation

1. Causal Narrative2. Teleology3. Experimental-Comparative4. Conjuncture

39



40

Causal NarrativeSecondary Cause

Secondary Cause

Primary Cause

Historical Event

41



42



43

Method of Agreement

[Cause 1, Cause 2, Cause 3] = Positive Outcome


44

Method of Agreement



45

Method of Agreement

Cause 2 + Cause 3 = Outcome

46

Method of Difference

[Cause A, Cause B, Cause C] = Positive Outcome

[Cause A, Cause B, Cause D] = Negative Outcome

47


[Cause A, Cause B, Cause C] = Positive Outcome

[Cause A, Cause B, Cause D] = Negative Outcome

48


Cause C = Outcome

49



50

Conjunctural ExplanationCause Cause

Cause

Historical EventCausal Conjuncture

51

Roadmap


10.04.04 on historical sociology

Documents

Transcript of 10.04.04 on historical sociology