Historiography Flashcards
what was the effect of the mid 20th century shift
social history movement
influence form other academic disciplines
encouraged a focus on marginalised groups, cultural practices & lived experiences
How did anthropological history effect the view of outlaws? who were the key historians?
E.P. Thompson, Natalie Zemon Davis
focus on cultural anthropology, rituals, symbols, and local customs.
focus on the ‘ordinary’
outlaws as a symbol of resistance against dominant elites
name of E.P. Thompson’s work, date, and key quote (outlining outlaws)
Whigs & Hunters
1975
“the law was perceived by the poor as an instrument of class oppression”
When was the social history turn?
1960s/70s
Key social historian that changed the view of outlaws
Christopher Hill
What did Christopher Hill write, name of work, and date of work
Liberty Against Law
1996
explored how outlaws, pirates, smugglers, resisted and challenged state authority
viewed them as products of socio-economic conditions
Key outlaw historian, name, work, date
Marcus Rediker
Villains of All Nations
2004
how did marcus rediker view pirates & other outlaws
saw pirates as “proto-democratic”
“pirates were not just thieves; they created alternative societies that offered egalitarian and multiracial models of community”
two key cultural historians that changed the way we view outlaws, and how did they do this?
Robert Darnton and Carlo Ginzburg through the use of microhistory
focussed on the lives and mentalities of specific communities or individuals
Historian who focussed on class perspectives, name of book, date, and quote
Eric Hobsbawm “Bandits” 1969
“banditry is a form of primitive rebellion against oppression”
Marcus Rediker key quote
“pirates were symbols of defiance, challenging authority of nation-states and brutal hierarchies or ship board life”
E.P. Thompson key quote
“the criminalisation of popular customs and practices was part of a larger effort to impose discipline of capitalist economy”
Christopher Hill Key quote
“the outlaw becomes a lens which we can see conflicts and contradictions of early modern society”
Key historian who wrote “smugglers and patriots”
John W. Tyler
What is Tyler’s main argument?
the role of illicit trade between American merchants and the world fostered the American Revolution?
Tyler’s 5 steps in how smuggling bought about revolution:
- Economic dependency
- smuggling as necessity
- fostering culture of resistance
- tension catalyst for revolution
- intertwined nature of motivations for independence
What is the problem of looking for outlaws according to Tyler?
lack of elaborate records of the trangressions
Key source available to historians about smugglers (Tyler)
Ezekial Price Insurance Records
lists owners of vessels, captain, destination, & premium levied on each voyage.
Why did people smuggle according to Tyler?
- increased profit
- avoid duty on foreign molasses (Molasses Act 1733)
- run ashore European manufacturers that hadn’t been imported through GB.
E.P. Thompson’s viewpoint on outlaws in the Moral Economy 1971
views outlaws as societal actors not inherently criminal, but that they have a deeper principle of justive rooted in cultural or moral economies.
Moral Economy key quote
“the crowd was informed by the belief that they were defending traditional rights/customs…rooted in consistent traditional views of social norms and obligations”
what sources did E.P. Thompson deploy in his Moral Economy 1971
- historical court records
- contemporary pamphlets
- economic statistics and patterns
What was the historiographical significance of E.P. Thompson’s Moral Economy 1971?
challenged reductionist economci theories that overlooked cultural and ethical dimensions of resistance.
social history emphasised the role of the marginalised, active agents in resisting economic and social structures that oppressed them.
How did E.P. Thompson’s work in Moral Economy 1971 influence the view of outlaws?
recontextualised them in a form of “social banditry”, challenged norms, recognised their rebellion not as anarchy but as assertion of alternative governance where they placed justice and equity within constrained conditions.
this group as a microcosm to justice.
Marcus rediker’s influential writing called & date
Life Under the Jolly Roger, 1988
What was the main argument throughout Rediker’s Jolly Roger
despite pirates being branded as criminals they established egalitarian communities with collective agreements, and distributed wealth and power equally.
argued their rebellion was a reaction to harsh conditions of merchant and naval service, a protest against social inequality
what does rediker note about pirates?
that their legacy remains a compelling historical phenomenon. Where men lived beyond the church, family, or disicplined labour, using the sea to distance themselves from the power of the state.
piracy created a space where ordinary men had “the choice in themselves”/
What does rediker argue as the reason men chose the life of piracy?
those who directly challenged the harsg ways of maritime society
Rediker’s assumption of the number of pirates from 1716-26
1,800-2,400 16-18
1,500-2,000 19-22
1,000-1500 -> 200 23-26
What does Pollard argue about Robin Hood?
Directed to the new middle class
Pollard notes that rebellion shoped to create a world not disimilar to that of the greenwood kingdom Robin Hood returned too
What did john C Appleby & Paul Dalton’s study show?
deep continuities to emerge
petty & serious local disorder
struggle and agency of local government
outlaw traditions
outlaws had a profound influence on the development of english constitution and state.
