Quantification in Historical Research

After the establishment of sociological paradigm within the range of the historical sciences during the 1970^th and the early 1980^th and the break-through of quantification in History in the late 1980^th and the 1990^th a wave of criticism on the work with this method came up. In contrary to the social sciences, which can create their own source materials historians are usually dependent on the analysis of sources, which were produced during the historical process. In addition to this objective problem the "lack of the individual" became the central point of attack at quantification. The LBIHS, its permanent stuff, as well as the international cooperators and authors were involved in this discussion from the beginning (Summer School "New Methods in History" in Salzburg). In the current research project these programs are developed further. The institute members present new developments on international conferences and workshops ("Social Science History Conferences" in the USA and Europe, International Conference of the Association for History and Computing). Since the establishment of quantification in history in the curriculum of university study of History the responsible person is also teaching this method in regular courses at the University of Vienna.

Links:

Viennese Database to European Family History
Lectures and academic teachings

Publications:

Occupational titles of the 'Vienna Database on European Family History', in: Herman Diederiks / Marjan Balkenstein (Eds.), Occupational titles and their classification: the case of the textile trade in past times, St. Katharinen 1995, 61-74. 

Occupational titles of the 'Vienna Database on European Family History', in: Ler História (Lisboa) 1995, 30, 121-134, (Reprint of previous article).

Record Linkage with Multi-Lingual Sources in Early Modern Bohemia, in: Peter Denley / Mathew Woollard (Eds.), The Sorcerer's Apprentice: KLEIO Case Studies, St. Katharinen 1996, 129-136.

Heinrich Berger / Gerhard Botz, Die ‚zweite Gesellschaft’ der Büsten. Eine historisch-quantitative Studie, in: Klaus Pinter (Ed.), Wiener Mischung, Vienna 2000, 50-57.