Social History Problems, Strategies and Methods
Drawing examples from some of the classic works in the discipline, Miles Fairburn examines the nature, varieties, schools and evolution of social history. Intended for advanced students and practising social historians who see social history as a problem-
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Also by Miles Fairburn The Ideal Society and Its Enemies: The Foundations of Modern New Zealand Society, 1850-1900 Nearly Out of Heart and Hope: The Puzzle of a Colonial Labourer's Diary
Social History Problems, Strategies and Methods Miles Fairburn Proffessor of History Canterbury University New Zealand
© Miles Fairburn 1999 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 1999 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-0-333-61587-4 ISBN 978-1-349-27517-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-27517-5 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99
Published in the United States of America 1999 by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-22123-2 clothbound ISBN 978-0-312-22124-9 paperback
To Maria, Geoffrey and Nikos
Contents Acknowledgements
Vlll
Introduction 1.
The Problem of Absent Categories
13
2. The Problem of Generalising from Fragmentary Evidence
39
Some Solutions for the Problem of Fragmentary Evidence
58
4.
The Problem of Establishing Important Causes
85
5.
The Problem of Establishing Similarities and Differences- of Lumping and Splitting
112
To Count or Not to Count?
145
3.
6.
7. The Problem of Socially Constructed Evidence
177
8. The Problem of Appropriate Concepts
203
9. The Problem of Determining the Best Explanation
235
Notes, References and Further Reading
281
Glossary of Terms
309
Bibliography
313
Index
323
VII
Acknowledgements This book arose out of a fourth-year History Honours course I taught at Victoria University in 1994 and 1995. I am most grateful for the assistance and encouragement I received in teaching it from good friends and colleagues in other Departments. They included John Pratt (Criminology), David Pearson, Kevin White and Bob Tristram (Sociology), and Ed Mares and Kim Sterelny (Philosophy). I also owe a great deal to the students who took the course and stimulated my thinking on various issues. My debt to John Morrow (Politics Department) and Bob Tristram is particularly heavy: they not only persuaded me to t
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