Twice forgotten : Assessing the scale and nature of foster care coverage in Australian historical newspapers
Journal article
Musgrove, Nell. (2020). Twice forgotten : Assessing the scale and nature of foster care coverage in Australian historical newspapers. The History of the Family. 25(1), pp. 70-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/1081602X.2019.1647264
Authors | Musgrove, Nell |
---|---|
Abstract | This article uses a combination of discursive and quantitative big data analysis of digitised historical newspapers to present new findings about the representation of foster care in the Australian press from 1865 through 1954. It argues that despite child welfare more broadly rating as a significant social issue in Australian historical newspapers of this period, the topic of foster care itself was much neglected. This is particularly important to understand at a time when historians are being called upon to create histories that respond to the questions and experiences of survivors of out-of-home care, because it helps explain why foster care has been underrepresented in these histories as compared to children’s institutions – that is, the discursive muting of foster care has a long history. The article engages with some of the practical and theoretical challenges of doing digital history, and concludes that for studies which seek to trace the usage and evolution of a concept over time, an approach which combines close and distant reading can produce useful results. In this case, the big data analysis reveals the low profile of foster care in the press, and a closer reading of a sample of these articles demonstrates that the nature of this coverage was largely negative – another important factor in understanding how public perceptions of foster care have been shaped over time. |
Keywords | foster care; historical newspapers; digital history; child welfare history; australia |
Year | 2020 |
Journal | The History of the Family |
Journal citation | 25 (1), pp. 70-93 |
Publisher | Routledge |
ISSN | 1081-602X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/1081602X.2019.1647264 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85079079711 |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 70-93 |
Funder | Australian Research Council (ARC) |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 30 Jul 2019 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 09 Dec 2021 |
ARC Funded Research | This output has been funded, wholly or partially, under the Australian Research Council Act 2001 |
Grant ID | ARC/DP130104578 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8x2y0/twice-forgotten-assessing-the-scale-and-nature-of-foster-care-coverage-in-australian-historical-newspapers
Restricted files
Publisher's version
91
total views0
total downloads0
views this month0
downloads this month