Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · 1991 · 549 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistorySociologyHistoriographySocial HistorySource StudiesArchival ResearchArchival SourcesDocumentary SourcesLocal HistorySocial HistoriographySocial ScienceCultural DocumentationDocumentary HistoriographyDocumentary InterpretationDocumentary Source CriticismFamily History MethodologyLocal History WritingSituated Reading
Personal documents are widely used by undergraduates and scholars in sociology, history, geography, and humanities, as well as by amateur genealogists and local historians. The authors analyze the prevalence of personal documents among these groups to understand their role in social research. The paper surveys documentary sources in social research, covering official documents, administrative routines, public sphere communications, and family history.
1. Social Research and Documentary Sources 2. Assessing Documentary Sources 3. The Use of Documents in Social Research 4. The Official Realm: Public and Private 5. Administrative Routines and Situated Decisions 6. Explorations in Official Documents 7. The Public Sphere and Mass Communications 8. Personal Documents undergraduates and academics in sociology, history, geography, humanities some general readership among amateurs in family history and local history