1st Edition

The Power of Networks Prospects of Historical Network Research

    302 Pages 63 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    302 Pages 63 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The Power of Networks describes a typology of network-based research practices in the historical disciplines, ranging from the use of quantitative network analysis in cultural, economic, social or political history or religious studies, to novel approaches in the Digital Humanities.

    Network data visualisations and calculations have proven to be useful tools for the analysis of mostly textual sources containing relational information, offering new perspectives on complex historical phenomena. Including case studies from antiquity to contemporary history, the book provides a clear demonstration of the opportunities historical network research (HNR) provides for historical studies. The examples presented within the pages of this volume are arranged in a way to highlight three central typological pillars of HNR: (re-)construction and analysis of historical networks; computational extraction of network data and infrastructures for data collection and exploration.

    The Power of Networks outlines the history and current state of research in HNR and points towards future research frontiers in the wake of new digital technologies. As such, the book should be essential reading for academics, students and practitioners with an interest in digital humanities, history, archaeology and religion.

    1. Introduction

    2. (Re-)construction of historical networks and their analysis

      1. Networking the Res Publica. Social Network Analysis and the Republican Rome

        Christian Rollinger

      2. Community detection and structural balance: network analytical modelling of political structures and actions in the Middle Ages

        Robert Gramsch-Stehfest

      3. The value of network analysis in historical sociology: economic and social relations in medieval Lübeck

        Bernd Wurpts

      4. Flemish Merchant Networks in Early Modern Seville. Approaches, Comparisons, and Methodical Considerations

                       Eberhard Crailsheim

                  5. Kinship Networks in Northwestern German Rural Society (18th/19th Centuries)

                     Christine Fertig

                 6. Mobility and Movements in Intellectual History: a Social Network Approach

                    Christophe Verbruggen, Hans Blomme, Thomas D’Haeninck

    3. Computational extraction of network data from large corpora

      1. Utilizing Historical Network Analysis on Meta-data to Model East German Foreign Intelligence Cycle in the Baltic Sea Region 1975-1989 

        Kimmo Elo

      2. Social and semantic network analysis in the study of religions

        Frederik Elwert

    4. Infrastructures for data collection and exploration

      1. Deep Networks as Associative Interfaces to Historical Research

        Charles van den Heuvel, Ingeborg van Vugt, Pim van Bree and Geert Kessels

      2. Networks as Gateways. Gleanings from Applications for the Exploration of Historical Data

                       Marten Düring

      5. Outlook

        1. Historical Network Research, Digital History, and Digital Humanities

          Malte Rehbein

      Biography

      Florian Kerschbaumer is Project Manager at the Danube University Krems and Lecturer at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria.

      Linda von Keyserlingk-Rehbein is Curator and Head of the Document Department in the Military History Museum, Dresden, Germany.

      Martin Stark is Senior Researcher at the ILS- Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Dortmund, Germany.

      Marten Düring is Assistant Professor/Senior Research Scientist at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg.