Trove and the history of childhood – combiningmicrohistory and big data

Journal article

Swain, Shurlee, Musgrove, Nell, O’Neill, Cate and Thurley-Hart, Constance. (2021). Trove and the history of childhood – combiningmicrohistory and big data. History Australia. 18(4), pp. 840-845. https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2021.1993742
AuthorsSwain, Shurlee, Musgrove, Nell, O’Neill, Cate and Thurley-Hart, Constance
Abstract

The experiences of children are notoriously elusive in the sources on which historians traditionally rely. This paper will discuss several projects in which Trove has expanded the history of childhood in Australia, uncovering a nation-wide trade in children through adoption advertisements, and enriching our knowledge of out-of-home care, and the many inquiries into its failings. Trove has democratised the practice of history – allowing care leavers and abuse survivors to research their own histories – and enabled new avenues for identifying microhistories. However, this article also argues that Trove-focused history without an understanding of context can be misleading.

Keywordshistory of childhood; digitised sources; Trove; classified advertisements; child welfare history
Year2021
JournalHistory Australia
Journal citation18 (4), pp. 840-845
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN1449-0854
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2021.1993742
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85119888030
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range840-845
FunderAustralian Research Council (ARC)
Publisher's version
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All rights reserved
File Access Level
Safeguarded
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online23 Nov 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited30 May 2022
ARC Funded ResearchThis output has been funded, wholly or partially, under the Australian Research Council Act 2001
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