When fish walk on land: Social history in a postmodern world

Journal of Social History

Volumn 37, Issue 1, 2003, Pages

  Eustace, Nicole ^a  

^a NEW YORK UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0141764885     PISSN: 00224529     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1353/jsh.2003.0135     Document Type: Review

References (66)

1. Of course social history was not the first methodological movement intended to bring scientific methods to bear on history; still early practitioners of the "new social history" saw themselves as the inaugurators of renewed and reinvigorated efforts in that direction (see below). Joyce Appleby also touches on the notion of "epistemological crises" and the philosophy of science in her article "The Power of History." See Appleby, "The Power of History," The American Historical Review 103 (Feb. 1998), 1-14: 2.
2. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth.: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970); Philip J. Greven, Four Generations: Population, Land, and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts (Ithaca, 1970); Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town - The First Hundred Years: Dedham Massachusetts, 1636-1736 (New York, 1970); and Michael Zuckerman, Peacable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1970). My central interest in this piece is to consider the methods, theories, and perspectives of these authors, along with ensuing and evolving reactions to their vision for social history. Little attempt is made to recount their specific historical arguments and findings. Though it seems unlikely that anyone will read this who is not already familiar with these works, should a fuller synopsis be desired, I recommend one of the first of the many review articles to consider these works in tandem: Richard S. Dunn, "The Social History of Early New England," American Quarterly 24 (Dec., 1972), 661-679.
3. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth.: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970); Philip J. Greven, Four Generations: Population, Land, and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts (Ithaca, 1970); Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town - The First Hundred Years: Dedham Massachusetts, 1636-1736 (New York, 1970); and Michael Zuckerman, Peacable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1970). My central interest in this piece is to consider the methods, theories, and perspectives of these authors, along with ensuing and evolving reactions to their vision for social history. Little attempt is made to recount their specific historical arguments and findings. Though it seems unlikely that anyone will read this who is not already familiar with these works, should a fuller synopsis be desired, I recommend one of the first of the many review articles to consider these works in tandem: Richard S. Dunn, "The Social History of Early New England," American Quarterly 24 (Dec., 1972), 661-679.
4. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth.: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970); Philip J. Greven, Four Generations: Population, Land, and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts (Ithaca, 1970); Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town - The First Hundred Years: Dedham Massachusetts, 1636-1736 (New York, 1970); and Michael Zuckerman, Peacable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1970). My central interest in this piece is to consider the methods, theories, and perspectives of these authors, along with ensuing and evolving reactions to their vision for social history. Little attempt is made to recount their specific historical arguments and findings. Though it seems unlikely that anyone will read this who is not already familiar with these works, should a fuller synopsis be desired, I recommend one of the first of the many review articles to consider these works in tandem: Richard S. Dunn, "The Social History of Early New England," American Quarterly 24 (Dec., 1972), 661-679.
5. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth.: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970); Philip J. Greven, Four Generations: Population, Land, and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts (Ithaca, 1970); Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town - The First Hundred Years: Dedham Massachusetts, 1636-1736 (New York, 1970); and Michael Zuckerman, Peacable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1970). My central interest in this piece is to consider the methods, theories, and perspectives of these authors, along with ensuing and evolving reactions to their vision for social history. Little attempt is made to recount their specific historical arguments and findings. Though it seems unlikely that anyone will read this who is not already familiar with these works, should a fuller synopsis be desired, I recommend one of the first of the many review articles to consider these works in tandem: Richard S. Dunn, "The Social History of Early New England," American Quarterly 24 (Dec., 1972), 661-679.
6. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth.: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970); Philip J. Greven, Four Generations: Population, Land, and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts (Ithaca, 1970); Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town - The First Hundred Years: Dedham Massachusetts, 1636-1736 (New York, 1970); and Michael Zuckerman, Peacable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1970). My central interest in this piece is to consider the methods, theories, and perspectives of these authors, along with ensuing and evolving reactions to their vision for social history. Little attempt is made to recount their specific historical arguments and findings. Though it seems unlikely that anyone will read this who is not already familiar with these works, should a fuller synopsis be desired, I recommend one of the first of the many review articles to consider these works in tandem: Richard S. Dunn, "The Social History of Early New England," American Quarterly 24 (Dec., 1972), 661-679.
7. Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town: The First Hundred years, Expanded Edition (New York, 1985), xi & xii. Note: all quotations are from this edition and will be hereafter cited as Lockridge, A New England Town.
8. Lockridge, A New England Town, xiv & xii.
9. Greven, Four Generations, fottnote #1, vii & vi-vii.
10. Greven, Four Generations, ix, 3, 18.
11. Zuckerman, Peaceable Kingdoms, vii & viii.
12. Zuckerman, Peaceable Kingdoms, 3 & 7.
13. John Demos, A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony, 2nd Ed. (New York, 2000), xvi, xviii, xix, xx (emphasis original), & xix. Note: all quotations are from this edition and will be hereafter cited as Demos, A Little Commonwealth.
14. Demos, A Little Commonwealth, xvi, xxi, xv.
15. Demos, A Little Commonwealth, xix.
16. Demos, A Little Commonwealth, xix.
17. Laurence Veysey, "The 'New' Social History in the Context of American Historical Writing," Reviews in American History 7 (March 1979), 1-12: 2 & 3.
18. Lockridge, A New England Town, 190 and Thomas Bender, 'Wholes and Parts: The Need for Synthesis in American History," The Journal of American History 73 (June 1986), 120-136:125.
19. Lockridge, A New England Town, 190 and Thomas Bender, 'Wholes and Parts: The Need for Synthesis in American History," The Journal of American History 73 (June 1986), 120-136:125.
20. Bender, "Wholes and Parts;" Veysey, "The New Social History," 5.
21. Bender, "Wholes and Parts;" Veysey, "The New Social History," 5.
22. Zuckerman, Friends and Neighbors, 10; Lockridge, A New England Town, 182; and Demos, A Little Commonwealth, x.
23. Zuckerman, Friends and Neighbors, 10; Lockridge, A New England Town, 182; and Demos, A Little Commonwealth, x.
24. Zuckerman, Friends and Neighbors, 10; Lockridge, A New England Town, 182; and Demos, A Little Commonwealth, x.
25. Veysey, "The New Social History," 2.
26. Nell Irvin Painter, "Bias and Synthesis in History," The Journal of American History 74 (Jun. 1987), 109-112:110; Saul Cornell, "Early American History in a Postmodern Age," William and Mary Quarterly 50 (Apr. 1993), 329-341: 329 and Ian Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," Reviews in American History 26 (Jan 1998), 70-95: 85.
27. Nell Irvin Painter, "Bias and Synthesis in History," The Journal of American History 74 (Jun. 1987), 109-112:110; Saul Cornell, "Early American History in a Postmodern Age," William and Mary Quarterly 50 (Apr. 1993), 329-341: 329 and Ian Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," Reviews in American History 26 (Jan 1998), 70-95: 85.
28. Nell Irvin Painter, "Bias and Synthesis in History," The Journal of American History 74 (Jun. 1987), 109-112:110; Saul Cornell, "Early American History in a Postmodern Age," William and Mary Quarterly 50 (Apr. 1993), 329-341: 329 and Ian Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," Reviews in American History 26 (Jan 1998), 70-95: 85.
29. Bender, "Wholes and Parts," 125 and Eric H. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," 91 (Dec. 1986), 1146-1157: 1149 & 1154, emphasis added.
30. Bender, "Wholes and Parts," 125 and Eric H. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," 91 (Dec. 1986), 1146-1157: 1149 & 1154, emphasis added.
31. Appleby, "The Power of History," 10 & 11.
32. Eric Monkkonen makes a similar point on the question of whether synthesis is reactionary; see Eric H. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," and endnote #30 below. Fred Anderson and Andrew R. L. Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation and the Prospects for Synthesis in Early American Social History," William and Mary Quarterly 50 (Apr 1993), 299-310.
33. Eric Monkkonen makes a similar point on the question of whether synthesis is reactionary; see Eric H. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," and endnote #30 below. Fred Anderson and Andrew R. L. Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation and the Prospects for Synthesis in Early American Social History," William and Mary Quarterly 50 (Apr 1993), 299-310.
34. Anderson and Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation," 300.
35. Demos, A Little Commonwealth, xi; and Demos, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America (New York, 1994), xi, emphasis original.
36. Demos, A Little Commonwealth, xi; and Demos, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America (New York, 1994), xi, emphasis original.
37. Appleby, "The Power of History," 7.
38. James Goodman, "For the Love of Stories," Reviews in American History 26 (Jan 1998), 255-274: 269.
39. Ruth Reichel, Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table (New York, 1999), x.
40. Cornell, "Early American History in a Postmodern Age," 332.
41. Goodman, "For the Love of Stories," 261; Anderson and Cayton, "Fragmentation and Synthesis," 304 & 310.
42. Goodman, "For the Love of Stories," 261; Anderson and Cayton, "Fragmentation and Synthesis," 304 & 310.
43. Jill Lepore, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity (New York, 1998); and Appleby, "The Power of History," 14.
44. Jill Lepore, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity (New York, 1998); and Appleby, "The Power of History," 14.
45. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," 1154 and Daniel K. Richter, Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America (Cambridge, 2001); Karen Ordahl Kupperman, Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America (Ithaca, 2000).
46. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," 1154 and Daniel K. Richter, Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America (Cambridge, 2001); Karen Ordahl Kupperman, Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America (Ithaca, 2000).
47. Monkkonen, "The Dangers of Synthesis," 1154 and Daniel K. Richter, Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America (Cambridge, 2001); Karen Ordahl Kupperman, Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America (Ithaca, 2000).
48. Thomas Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis in American History," American Historical Review 107 (Feb 2002), 129-153: 145; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwive's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (New York, 1990); Anderson and Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation," 309; Ronald Hoffman, Mechal Sobel and, Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Through a Glass Darkly: Reflections on Personal Identity in Early America (Chapel Hill, 1997).
49. Thomas Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis in American History," American Historical Review 107 (Feb 2002), 129-153: 145; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwive's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (New York, 1990); Anderson and Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation," 309; Ronald Hoffman, Mechal Sobel and, Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Through a Glass Darkly: Reflections on Personal Identity in Early America (Chapel Hill, 1997).
50. Thomas Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis in American History," American Historical Review 107 (Feb 2002), 129-153: 145; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwive's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (New York, 1990); Anderson and Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation," 309; Ronald Hoffman, Mechal Sobel and, Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Through a Glass Darkly: Reflections on Personal Identity in Early America (Chapel Hill, 1997).
51. Thomas Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis in American History," American Historical Review 107 (Feb 2002), 129-153: 145; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwive's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (New York, 1990); Anderson and Cayton, "The Problem of Fragmentation," 309; Ronald Hoffman, Mechal Sobel and, Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Through a Glass Darkly: Reflections on Personal Identity in Early America (Chapel Hill, 1997).
52. Steele, "Exploding American History," 84; James H. Merrell, Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier (New York, 1999); Andrew R.L. Cayton and Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Contact Points: American Frontiers from the Mohawk Valley to the Mississippi, 1750-1830 (Chapel Hill, 1998).
53. Steele, "Exploding American History," 84; James H. Merrell, Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier (New York, 1999); Andrew R.L. Cayton and Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Contact Points: American Frontiers from the Mohawk Valley to the Mississippi, 1750-1830 (Chapel Hill, 1998).
54. Steele, "Exploding American History," 84; James H. Merrell, Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier (New York, 1999); Andrew R.L. Cayton and Fredrika J. Teute, eds., Contact Points: American Frontiers from the Mohawk Valley to the Mississippi, 1750-1830 (Chapel Hill, 1998).
55. Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis," 152-153; Gordon Wood, "A Century of Writing Early American History: Then and Now Compared; Or How Henry Adams Got it Wrong," The American Historical Review 100 (Jun. 1995), 678-696: 693; Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," 83.
56. Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis," 152-153; Gordon Wood, "A Century of Writing Early American History: Then and Now Compared; Or How Henry Adams Got it Wrong," The American Historical Review 100 (Jun. 1995), 678-696: 693; Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," 83.
57. Bender, "Strategies of Narrative Synthesis," 152-153; Gordon Wood, "A Century of Writing Early American History: Then and Now Compared; Or How Henry Adams Got it Wrong," The American Historical Review 100 (Jun. 1995), 678-696: 693; Steele, "Exploding Colonial American History," 83.
58. Philip D. Curtin, Migration and mortality in Africa and the Atlantic world, 1700-1900 (Burlington, VT, 2001); Sylvia R. Frey and Betty Wood, eds., From Slavery to Emancipation in the Atlantic World (Portland, OR, 1999); the unpublished The Peoples of Mesopotamia and Mount Airy is cited in Richard S. Dunn, "From Minnesota to Barbados, Jamaica, Virginia, and Alabama," Commonplace 1 (4) 2001 http://www.common-place.org/vol-01/no-04/
59. Philip D. Curtin, Migration and mortality in Africa and the Atlantic world, 1700-1900 (Burlington, VT, 2001); Sylvia R. Frey and Betty Wood, eds., From Slavery to Emancipation in the Atlantic World (Portland, OR, 1999); the unpublished The Peoples of Mesopotamia and Mount Airy is cited in Richard S. Dunn, "From Minnesota to Barbados, Jamaica, Virginia, and Alabama," Commonplace 1 (4) 2001 http://www.common-place.org/vol-01/no-04/
60. Philip D. Curtin, Migration and mortality in Africa and the Atlantic world, 1700-1900 (Burlington, VT, 2001); Sylvia R. Frey and Betty Wood, eds., From Slavery to Emancipation in the Atlantic World (Portland, OR, 1999); the unpublished The Peoples of Mesopotamia and Mount Airy is cited in Richard S. Dunn, "From Minnesota to Barbados, Jamaica, Virginia, and Alabama," Commonplace 1 (4) 2001 http://www.common-place.org/vol-01/no-04/
61. Peter Thompson, Rum Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1999).
62. James F. McMillan, "Social History, 'New Cultural History,' and the Rediscovery of Politics: Some Recent Work on Modern France," The Journal of Modern History 4 (Dec. 1994), 755-772: 761; Appleby, "The Power of History," 9.
63. James F. McMillan, "Social History, 'New Cultural History,' and the Rediscovery of Politics: Some Recent Work on Modern France," The Journal of Modern History 4 (Dec. 1994), 755-772: 761; Appleby, "The Power of History," 9.
64. A recent brief and clear commentary the concept of "subject position" is provided in: Dominick LaCapra, "History, Language, and Reading: Waiting for Crillon," American Historical Review 100 (Jun. 1995), 799-828: 805, footnote 16.
65. See Kathleen M. Brown, Good Wives, Nasty Wenches, and Anxious Patriarchs : Gender, Race, and Power in Colonial Virginia (Chapel Hill, 1996), especially chapter ten, "Anxious Patriarchs."
66. Jane Kamensky, Governing the Tongue: The Politics of Speech in Early New England (New York, 1997).