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quantdave t1_jdrz2af wrote

Reply to comment by GEARHEADGus in Weekly History Questions Thread. by AutoModerator

Social history (like history in general) covers a wide range of themes and approaches, and there isn't a uniform style: it can be a dry analytical treatment or a bodice-ripping account of the racier side of life; it can cover anything from the development of working-class identity and organisation or the situation of women in the family and economic or public life to the evolution of elite taste & etiquette, the latter mercifully not so much in favour nowadays.

So it would help if you could be a bit more specific about the kind of topic or framework you have in mind: each brings its own challenges and likely readership. And do you mean the actual writing, or rather the appropriate research techniques and sources?

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GEARHEADGus t1_jds3hjo wrote

Im aiming for the sweet spot between academic and popular. I’ve got several things going at the moment. Prohibition, policing, labor, and some womens things at the local level. All meant to tie into each other eventually.

As for your last question: both, actually. Writing and research

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quantdave t1_jdsh4pb wrote

OK, that narrows it down a bit - maybe too much, because I can't find anything that really fits the bill: what's out there tends to be too general, too academic or coming at it from a more ideological or sectional standpoint - which is fine, it's just probably not what you're looking for.

What you do have is the luxury of being able to pick from both academic and popular treatments to suit your purpose. I'd start by familiarising yourself with existing relevant works, evaluating each kind for the elements you're looking for even if you don't find the style there that you want: the "tricks of the trade" are there on the page, it's just a matter of selecting those that work best.

In terms of material, for the popular side you can draw largely on those secondary works, but for the more scholarly angle you'd want to delve into the archives - and maybe census returns for the labour environment and women's participation, while for Prohibition I wouldn't overlook contemporary newspapers which can often provide valuable period detail. Recorded eyewitness testimony can add further flavour: the 1920s may be too early to feature in any but the earliest oral history collections but may be recounted in intervening documentaries (for which unused material may also occasionally survive).

Sorry I drew a blank: I hope there's the odd useful idea there. Perhaps when you're finished you can write the guide too - there seems to be a gap in the market.

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