An introduction to my methodology and approach to research and how I uncover stories. I also share the 5 things that shaped my academic focus the most.
History is what happened in the past – as far as we can put the clues together. Because we can’t time travel or know for sure, historians study things left from the past such as records, artwork, objects and written stories to make up a picture of what happened. These stories were always there, so using more of them makes our guess about what happened more educated.
As historians find out more, they adapt their arguments to what fits best. This is especially important when we perviously only had stories and evidence associated with one voice, especially those in power. If this means changing what we previously thought, now that we have more evidence? Then that’s the point – rewriting history is progress. It makes it more likely to be closer to the past and what actually happened.
The Gendering technique (Daybell et al.) explores an object through its life story. This means a single dress worn by an elite woman can represent hundreds of stories it intersected with that don’t usually get represented – such as a shepherdess who cared for the sheep whose wool was used to make it, or the Harbour Master of the port the ship it was found on set off from.
This approach encourages consideration of intersectionality and how different identities make up and affect one individual. This approach allows me to overcome how few sources exist directly corresponding to marginalised groups. Restoring these stories is vital to get a fuller picture of life in the past, and to enable more people to see themselves and their experiences reflected in the past.
Though this was designed for items in museum collections, it can be adapted to use a place as the centre of a web of connections and stories that interacted with it at various times.
I highly recommend this BBC documentary series as a representation of a similar technique. It uses a singular house to explore the diversity of stories that intersected with it and how these reflect wider societal changes.
My main fascination with history comes from why we behaved and understood things differently and how society and identity interconnect. We can’t impose modern labels and understandings onto those from the past. We can highlight how an experience they went through or a trait they held may resonate with someone similar today.
My community engagement workshops look at how many modern identities haven’t been ‘invented in the last 20 years’ but those with relatable experiences have existed throughout history – especially those traditionally excluded, like LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent. These workshops aim to encourage engagement with history, helping people learn and develop their confidence when they see themselves represented.
by James Daybell, Kit Heyam, Svante Norrhem and Emma Severinsson.This article is the origins of the Gendering Theory, my approach is based on. It formed the basic of my MA Heritage Theory & Practice dissertation and was also the first academic article I saw with an academic with gender-neutral pronouns.
by Joan Scott.If you only read one academic article on why we should look at the impact of Gender on history and all it tells us, it should be this one.
by Anna Scott.This article explores how we can't use modern labels to apply to historic figures - even if they'd fit a modern definition. It explores how there wasn't a sapphic gay culture and how Anne Lister used a variety of sources she related to to create her own one. This is the origins of my identity workshops.
This is one example of a whole selection of TV shows where they placed a modern family in a historic house to live according to the expectations of the time. Each episode would bring them a decade closer to the present and eventually into the living memory of the parents. This one stuck with me in particular as they assigned roles based on modern experiences - a different family for each social class which I really related to.It also went all the way back to the 1870s while most people now know the most popular of this sort of series (Back In Time For...) which only went back to 1900.
I haven't got a specific recommendation for this one as I learned hands-on from the Archaeologists around me at a living Museum. The basic premise is when you lack sources on how people did things in the past, you use what you do know about the tools and knowledge they had access to and try it yourself (as a science experiment) to see if the results match what we find as remains from the time. I adore the concept of Learning From Making and valuing the skills and lived experience of crafters today. Though I no longer explore the era associated with Archaeology, I love the application of this approach to Dress and Material History. This in turn, expands into learning from the emotional side of this sort of experiences.