Documenting Difficult Cases: A Mixed Method Analysis

This Special Issue of Genealogy examines the use of evidence, documentation, and methodology in family history and genealogical studies, and welcomes case studies that examine how to document individuals and relationships. A critical component of scholarly research focusing on the study of particular individuals or groups entails correctly identifying those individuals Historians, genealogists, historical demographers, and scholars in other disciplines sometimes undertake this sort of analysis. Often, research is uncomplicated if the research subject remained in a particular geographical area, or left a clear evidentiary trail, but what happens when historical documents do not clearly identify the research subject? Utilizing a case study approach, this essay employs four different research methods—the chronological study, family reconstitution, community study techniques, and the one-name study—to identify an individual whose correct historical identification was problematic. As such, it establishes a research strategy that can be employed in similar situations

Political education in Croatian secondary schools: an emergency reaction to a chaotic context

The article draws on an analysis exploring how the content and aims of secondary school political education have been framed in official Croatian policy documents following the country’ s war for independence, with particular focus on the underlying conception of citizenship promoted in such a post-conflict setting. The article also addresses how official textbooks for the secondary school subject of ‘ politics and economics’ shape this conception of citizenship through their choice of topics. It is argued in the article that the case of Croatian political education illustrates how a social and historical tipping point can influence what counts as official political knowledge to be transmitted in schools, and thus exemplifies the transitional nature of such knowledge in emergency settings. This locates the issue of knowledge transmitted in Croatian secondary school political education in a broader theoretical discussion on how knowledge can be radically affected by ‘paradigm shifts’ in social and political circumstances, and raises the question of ways in which its arbitrariness can be minimised. To this end, special attention is given to the role of skills and values in political education

Incrementalism and Path Dependence: European Integration and Institutional Change in National Parliaments

This article analyses the manner in which the Parliaments of France, the UK and Greece have reacted to the process of European integration. It is argued that their reactions display an incremental logic marked by slow, small and marginal changes based on existing institutional repertoires. In all three cases Parliaments have used familiar mechanisms and procedures which they have modified only marginally. This reaction was path dependent, i.e. it was consistent with long-established patterns reflecting the subordinate position of these Parliaments within national polities

Measuring the vitality and effectiveness within social sciences and humanities research. an attempt in Italian LIS studies

This study constitutes the beginning of a PhD research in Library and information science at Sapienza University of Rome, aimed at investigating the level of internationalisation, vitality and effectivenessof Italian Library and information studies. The paper describes the methodology of search in international citational database, Web of science and Scopus, and in Google scholar for any scholarly work published by Italian LIS tenured researchers and university professors. The results in WoS and Scopus are illustrated and compared with a first collection of data within Italian similar field of Social sciences and humanities (SSH). The reliability of the data collected in citation database within the areas of Social sciences and humanities and their significance are limited; also the comparison with Italian historical and paleographic fields seems to confirms that a substantial impact of SSH non-Anglophone scientific production within citational database is influenced by a number of factors (number of indexed core journals, language of publication, level of coverage of journals, etc.). On the other hand, Google scholar could be a valuable tool for humanistic fields, but it is necessary to deal with the comple xity of the analysis and the problems of homonyms. Therefore, these first research results made it clear that, in order to investigate the presence and impact of Italian LIS studies, a correct use and organization of quantitative data is essential

Qualitative archives and biographical research methods. An introduction to the FQS special issue

The use of archival materials as a point of departure when designing and launching social research takes for granted that a culture of archiving (for sharing and re-use) has rooted time ago in our complex societies. This mentality and research practice first flourished and is fairly well installed in the case of statistics, surveys and certain other primary or secondary documents. On the contrary, it is less frequent and certainly not a routine activity for qualitative data. Only some of the raw and elaborated materials gathered during qualitative research become part of an archive for further reanalysis. These can include the backstage practices and experiences of a project, raw materials such as field notes, audio and visual recordings, and other documents produced during the research process. This issue presents a colorful range of articles that deal with experiences, challenges and opportunities of archiving and re-using qualitative material, particularly under the umbrella of biographical and narrative research. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of archiving in qualitative social research and highlights some of the new methodological reflections and approaches that have been and that are being developed within the European landscape. We hope that the articles in this issue will help promote further communication and exchange among qualitative archival practitioners from different countries and with different sensitivities and conceptual horizons. © 2011 FQS

The Lincoln Magna Carta: marketing a document that changed the world

From the field of Runnymede in 1215, to later English parliamentary struggles, across the seas to a fledgling American democracy, then onwards in time to all parts of the globe where it encourages human rights and helps shapes legal systems, the Magna Carta has transformed the world. Now there are only four copies remaining of the original manuscript, one of which is owned by Lincoln Cathedral of the UK. This paper provides a critical account of the marketing of the Magna Carta to three target groups of the 21st century. These are the schools market, the general visitor market to Lincoln Castle, where the document is on display and the American market, which sees the Magna Carta when it is on tour. This paper identifies a number of marketing problems, arguing that a failure to implement an effective overall strategy has led to missed customer opportunities. This is a problem compounded by one of brand identity, where political, historical and religious discourses are allowed to converge onto the marketing of the Magna Carta in an undisciplined way, resulting in positioning difficulties. Finally, recommendations are made regarding the implementation of a more strategic approach to marketing the Great Charta

Historical reference collection : 1976 - 2007

Another accruing and evolving collection holding published university documents (documents made publicly available) and non-official institutional records, plus 'grey literature' and ephemera relating to UB and its forerunner institutions. It includes documents harvested from UB Website. This is an artificially created collection. Some of these records may also exist in the homogenous institutional archive collections and in the BDSC