9X6 – Dissertation Preparation for Honours History (2020/1)

The overall intention for my dissertation research is to examine the conversion to Christianity of the Vikings around c.1000. This will include surrounding areas such as Norway and Europe and their overall influence in the conversion as well.

Primary Sources

• A. Somerville, Angus, ed. The Viking Age: A Reader (2nd Edition). Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014.

This edited book contains a whole collection of key sources from the time period of the Vikings and the diversity of their history and cultural heritage. In particular interest for the dissertation research, the sources relating to Iceland specifically would be helpful to give an idea of an overview to the situation the Vikings were dealing with, within Iceland itself. Through the use of these sources, it will paint a picture of the events that took place which influenced the conversion to Christianity.

• Smiley, Jane. The Saga of Icelanders: A Selection. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

This edited book is also a collection of essential primary sources specifically about the genre of Icelandic sagas. In direct interest to the dissertation research, the sources are prose narratives which highlight the historical events taking place within Iceland in the 9th, 10th and 11th Century and are known to be the best known specimens of Icelandic literature. The assistance of these sources will aid to give a sense about the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the early generation of Icelandic settlers, most notably the Vikings.

• IMB – International Medieval Bibliography

This bibliographic database provides a comprehensive resource of articles in journals and volumes. This is a valuable resource that contains the records of Iceland as a country during the time period that is being researched and the settlements that took place there.

Secondary Sources

• Winroth, Anders., The Age of the Vikings. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014, 181-212.

This chapter is highly significant in the research of conversion of Christianity within Iceland as it showcases the religions of Northern Europe which has been drawn from written, visual and archaeological evidence. Through this, it emphasises the complex society, culture and legacy of the Vikings within Iceland overall.

• Winroth, Anders., The Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking of Northern Europe, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011

This book makes a point of explaining the conversion of Scandinavia from paganism to Christianity in the early Middle Ages. He highlights that Scandinavians converted to Christianity because it was in individual chieftains’ political, economic, and cultural interests to do so rather than passive receivers.

• Byock, Jesse L., Viking Age Iceland, London: Penguin Books, 2001.

The quintessential book for studying the structure of Viking Age Iceland and its underlying structures and cultural codes of the social order. It details in depth about the role of society within Iceland at the time and its significance in the island’s settlers through insights into the popular Icelandic sagas.

• Garipzanov, Ildar, ed. Conversion and Identity in the Viking Age, Belgium: Brepols N.V., 2014.

This edited book details the topic of how conversion affected peoples’ identities – both as individuals, and as members of broader religious, political, and social groups – and provides examples of the complicated patterns of interaction, influence, and the modification of identity that were distinctive of the transition from paganism to Christianity in the Viking world.

My dissertation will focus on the relationship between Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Tudor. Both sixteenth century queens who were threatened by each other and by men who thought a woman was unfit to rule. I am keen to explore how the queens interacted with each other without meeting in person. This will be achieved through examining Primary sources and Secondary Literature.

Secondary Sources

1. Dawson, Jane. 1986. “Mary Queen Of Scots, Lord Darnley, And Anglo-Scottish Relations 1565”. JSTOR. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/stable/pdf/40105559.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_solr_cloud%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa60ef57199683fb3bcc6a53b6931fb27. Accessed 04/02/2021

I have come across this article whilst researching the topic on JSTOR. This article sets out relations between the two monarchs and Dawson suggests that the feeling was that Elizabeth could lose her throne at the onset of 1566 when Marys rule seemed secure. There is particular focus on Marys half brother Moray who was at odds with the Queen and her decision to Marry. Moray was reliant on English support in Scotland to discourage the match, but Elizabeth’s policy seemed in disarray. This source is useful when considering relations as it suggests that the queens often tried to out manoeuvre each other and that tensions could have lead to war.

2. Williams, Kate. 2020. Rival Queens. 2nd ed. London: Penguin.

I have delved into a few chapters of this recent work on the two Queens. The book sets out Marys position on Elizabeth suggesting that Mary had longed of a lasting friendship of discussing how the men who surrounded them wanted their power. Elizabeth more sceptical and reserved viewed Mary as dangerous who was after her throne. This part is well documented through Secondary Literature Mary suggesting that she was the legitimate direct descendant of Henry VII.

3. Fraser, Antonia. 1969. Mary Queen Of Scots. St Ives: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
4. Wormald, Jenny. 1988. Mary Queen Of Scots A Study In Failure. 4th ed. Edinburgh: John Donald.

 

There is a range of secondary material that I have looked at and think will be useful for my topic. Fraser & Wormald offer assessments of Marys reign and this will be particularly useful in developing ideas about whether Marys was indeed trying to out manoeuvre Elizabeth to achieve her own ambition or whether she wanted a close relationship with her cousin.

Primary Sources.

1. Stuart, Mary. 1565. “Letters Of Mary Queen Of Scots”. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/lettersofmaryqu01mary/page/18/mode/2up.

This letter to Elizabeth in 1565 talks about how Mary was keen for a good working relationship to be developed between the two Monarchs.  The good relations between the two Queens would be the benefit of both Scotland and England through shared intelligence and amity between them. I came across this source when consulting another text. I find this useful as it shows that there was at least some desire for good relations, which in the context of Mary and Elizabeth is often overlooked.

For my dissertation, I am hoping to look at British views or discussion on Napoleon and his early career. Likely this would primarily cover Napoleon’s 1796-7 Italian campaigns but could encompass earlier events such as the Siege of Toulon and 13 Vendemiaire and likewise later discussion on the Egyptian expedition and perhaps the coup of 18 Brumaire.

 

Primary Sources

 

• Cruikshank, Isaac. “Buonaparte at Rome giving audience in state,” March 12, 1796. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-6606

A cartoon depicting the humiliation of the pope at the hand of Napoleon. Interesting for this topic as it shows how traditional anti-French views based on religion contradicted with the new reality of that the revolution had brought. Though this source focuses on the religious element it is still useful in understanding British views on the military successes of Napoleon as it should be viewed in the context of his recent victories. Therefore it is interesting that Cruikshank chose to ridicule the pope primarily though it should be said that his representation of Napoleon does not flatter him.

 

• “Genoa, March 21st.” The Times, April 25, 1796. https://go-gale-com.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/ps/navigateToIssue?u=unistirl&p=TTDA&mCode=0FFO&issueDate=117960425&issueNumber=3568&volume=&loadFormat=page

This section is part of a Private Correspondence section of the newspaper and features a description of the French occupation of Genoa by an anonymous author. They mention that the French troops had been ordered, “by Buonoparre, the French General in Chief.” This shows an early acknowledgement of Napoleon’s position raising him to prominence for many British readers. It is also interesting how his name is spelt which resembles his families Corsican name that they changed from Buonaparte to Bonaparte.

 

Secondary Sources

 

• Lyons, Martyn. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1994.

Lyon’s book provides a good succinct overview of Napoleon’s early career. It uses are somewhat limited in judging any British views but is useful in understanding other issues and identifying key points when Bonaparte would have been discussed in Britain.

 

• Semmel, Stuart. “British Uses for Napoleon.” MLN 120, no. 4 (2005): 733-746. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3840655

Semmel’s article is very useful in identifying the key issues that British discussion would have focused on in Napoleon’s career. Though he discusses at length the problems that coronation and imperial France posed for British commenters some of the issues such as the aforementioned religious problems are still pertinent to the earlier time period that I wish to look at.

Dear All

A few years ago, the Higher Education Academy’s History Subject Centre, based at the University of Warwick, published a series of guides to Sources in Historical Research

Sadly only three were published before the funding for the subject centre was cut (!), but these may be useful to you, if you are planning to use:

1. Newspapers
2. Oral History
3. Quantitative Sources (statistics, etc)

in your project

These can be accessed here

 

I am hoping to examine the history of interrelationships in Britain. Although the area has not seen a significant amount of study, I should be able to use case studies to show the development of interracial relationships over time. In my initial research, the themes of class, gender, identity, racist ideology and science have emerged. I plan to utilise autobiographies, personal correspondence, media, legalisation etc.

Primary sources

• Olaudah Equiano writings, such as The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African.

Gives an early account of individual black experience from the 18^th Although he focuses on the abolitionist cause, not his own personal life with his white wife, it gives insight into racism and his view on interracial relationships.

• Edward Long’s writings, such as The History of Jamaica.

Long is considered to be the ‘father of English racism’. Important to understand how racist ideology developed in Britain and how it affected interracial relationships.

• Eugenics Society Archive, Wellcome Library https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b19775179

Archive includes annual reports, press cuttings, leaflets etc. This will be necessary to consult to understand the scientific belief that races should not mix.

• 1914 British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/4-5/17/enacted

An example of government documents that set out racial permeameters in relationships in a bid to deter interracial marriages.

• ‘White Women and Black Men’, Nottingham Evening Post, June 14, 1930 https://go-gale-com.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=9091&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=18&docId=GALE%7CJE3232701055&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZBLF-MOD1&prodId=BNCN&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CJE3232701055&searchId=R12&userGroupName=unistirl&inPS=true

An example of newspaper articles that focus on the ‘social dangers’ of interracial relationships, mentioning low intelligence of mixed race children.

• Julian S. Huxley, C. Haddon A. M. Carr-Saunders. We Europeans : a survey of ‘racial’ problems. (1935). Wellcome Library https://wellcomecollection.org/works/rr2c6azf/items?canvas=174&langCode=eng&sierraId=b18031006&source=viewer%2Fpaginator

This primary source represents a welcomed shift in scientific belief- that we are all of mixed ancestry.

 

Secondary sources

• Caballero, Chamion and Aspinall, Peter J. Mixed Race Britain in the Twentieth Century. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.

This book may help form the basis of my research since it gives a broad overview on interracial relationships in 20^th century Britain. It uses a range of first-hand accounts and archival material to compare ‘official’ accounts of racial mixing.

• Fryer, Peter. Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto press, 1984.

Considered a definitive history of black people in Britain. It sheds light on the experiences of racism and interracial relations before the 20^th century.

• Caballero, Chamion. “Interraciality in Early Twentieth Century Britain: Challenging Traditional Conceptualisations through Accounts of ‘Ordinariness” Genealogy3(2):21 (2019)

This article examines first-hand accounts of interracial ‘ordinariness’—both presence and experiences—throughout the early decades of the twentieth century.  As much of the study of interracial relationship is taken from an negative outsider perspective, it sheds light the ‘ordinariness’ reality that most experienced.

• Bland, Lucy. “White Women and Men of Colour: Miscegenation Fears in Britain after the Great War”. Gender & History Vol.17 (2005)

This article examines race relations following the Great War by looking at three dominant discourses: ‘that interracial relationships leads to violence between white and black men, that these relationships involve sexual immorality, and have ‘disastrous’ procreative consequences.’

• Christian, Mark. “The Fletcher Report 1930: A Historical Case Study of Contested Black Mixed Heritage” Journal of Historical Sociology Vol. 21 No. 2/3 (2008)

This article examines a controversial report that focused negatively on mixed heritage children born and raised in the city of Liverpool.  The report was highly influential and would shape perceptions of mixed-race people and families for many years to come.

• Webster, Wendy. “Fit to Fight, Fit to Mix: Sexual Patriotism in Second World War” Britain Women’s History Review 22 (2013)

This article uses evidence from Home Intelligence, Mass-Observation and official policy making to explore the gendered nature of anxieties about a wide range of British women’s relationships—with white and black allies and with white enemies. It argues that World War Two Britain sees an important shift towards a multi-ethnic and multinational society.

For my dissertation, I plan on drawing particular focus to the Nazi Regime from 1933-1945 – discussing the totalitarianism in Nazi Germany and the fear and state terrorism used to control the lives of Germans.

SS Marriage Order (December 31, 1931). In United States Chief Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality, Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, Volume IV. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1946, Document 2284-PS [The History, Mission, and Organization of the Schutzstaffeln of the NSDAP, compiled on the Commission of the Reichsführer-SS by the SS-Standartenführer Gunter d’Alquen, 1939], pp. 976-77

This document is a primary source which showcases the controlling nature of Nazi Germany by emphasising the need for ‘pure-blood’ Germans in the SS and the importance of ensuring that SS men married women of superior worth and race. This is relevant as it provides an understanding of just how important identity was in Nazi Germany and gives an insight into the creation of the ‘perfect German’ to develop a strong, superior state.

The Fuhrer’s Decree on Preserving the Purity of the SS and the Police (November 15, 1941)

This is a Decree created by Hitler, which disowned any member of the SS or Police who was homosexual, and threatened death for any who acted upon their homosexuality. This will be useful in my dissertation as it is a perfect example of the fear and brutality ingrained into Nazi ideology and the intimidating nature of their organisations.

Decree from the Head of Security Police to the Heads of all State Police Offices (September 3, 1939)

This primary source outlines the beginning of the intrusion into the lives of German citizens and ensuring everyone followed the principles and ideas of the Nazi rule and did not spread anti-Nazi propaganda. This will help me highlight the constant fear amongst German citizens and how the Nazi Party were able to use these tactics to keep them in power.

Benedikt Kautsky’s Description of the Concentration Camps Hierarchy (Retrospective Account, 1961)

This is an account of a ‘political prisoner’ who experienced the Concentration Camps. The use of these type of accounts in my dissertation will be important as it is crucial to have evidence of the torture, horrific conditions and dehumanisation endured by these victims. This is the best way to emphasise the terror imposed by Germans and their push towards complete fear and control over these citizens.

Goeschel, Christian, and Nikolaus Wachsmann. “Before Auschwitz: The Formation of the Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933-9.” Journal of Contemporary History 45, no. 3 (2010): 515-34. Accessed February 6, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy-s1.stir.ac.uk/stable/20753613.

This journal is a great insight into the beginning of a Nazi totalitarian state and how terror and fear became imposed into Nazi ideology and German life. The author discusses the development of antisemitism throughout the concentration camps and the lead up to Auschwitz. This source provides analysis of Historians views on the matter and the different outlooks on Nazi terror and the relationship between Germans and the Nazi state.

Gellately, Robert. “The Gestapo and German Society: Political Denunciation in the Gestapo Case Files.” The Journal of Modern History 60, no. 4 (1988): 654-94. Accessed February 6, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy-s1.stir.ac.uk/stable/1881013.

I found this journal article particularly relevant to my dissertation topic as it focuses on the Gestapo’s role in creating a totalitarian state, and the attempt of complete eradication of all anti-state propaganda and ideas in Germany. The journal is a good example of the control the Nazi state had over Germany and the different perceptions of various historians on the motives of the Nazi’s to gain full support and superiority over its citizens.

 

 

 

For my dissertation I plan to discuss the displacement of Scottish Highlanders to North America as they joined the colonising power of the Empire due to events such as the Jacobite uprising and the Highland Clearances. I would like to discuss whether or not, as a result of this, Scots and the indigenous people of North America were joined by shared imperial victimhood. As my topic is currently quite broad, I do intend to narrow my topic upon further research.

Secondary sources

1. T. M. Devine, ‘The Scottish Nation, A Modern History’, (London: Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, 2012).

I found this source when taking the ENGU9WH (Writing and History: Scotland and Empire) module this semester. This source provided me with my chosen dissertation topic. This source contains chapters titled: ‘The Disintegration of Clanship’ as well as ‘Highlandism and Scottish identity’ within part two: 1760-1830. These chapters give great detail to the loss of the old Highland way of life and as a result, changes to Scottish identity.

2. T. M. Devine, ‘The Scottish Clearances – A history of the dispossessed, 1600-1900’, (London, The Penguin Press, 2018).

Due to the usefulness of T.M. Devine’s previous book The Scottish Nation, A Modern History, I searched for his other works and found this source. This source provides an insight to the violent changes and exploitation of the old Highland way of life for economic advancement.

3. Dobson, David, ‘Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, 1607–1785’. (Athens; London: University of Georgia Press, 1994.) Available at:< http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n7t5.>

When searching JSTOR for sources related to Scottish emigration to North America I found this source. This source contains a wealth of information which will provide an understanding of the significant contributions Scottish emigrants made to early American colonial settlements.

4. Colin Galloway, ‘White People, Indians, and Highlanders: Tribal People and Colonial Encounters in Scotland and America’ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).

This source was recommended to me by a potential supervisor. It provides similarities and differences between the colonial experiences of Indians and Scottish Highlanders. This source will be extremely useful in understanding the relationship between Indian and Scottish Highland people who were both tribal and clan like, living on the fringes of the empire.

Primary sources

5. “News.” London Chronicle, May 19, 1763 – May 21, 1763. Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Burney Newspapers Collection (accessed February 4, 2021). Available at:<https://link-gale-com.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/apps/doc/Z2001679266/BBCN?u=unistirl&sid=BBCN&xid=f900231c.>

This source was found by searching the Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Burney Newspaper Collection. It is of special interest as it was published in 1763, the year in which the French withdrew their holdings enabling Britain to further expand their own holdings.

This source is an extract of a letter to Earl Temple; upon the probable motives and consequences of his Lordship’s conduct. Within this letter, there are several interesting and very useful quotations which give insight to a British perspective of North- American indigenous people:

“The North-American savages proclaim war, by hanging on the war-kettle to boil the prisoners they are to take in battle.”

6. “Advertisements and Notices.” Whitehall Evening Post [1770], May 5, 1759 – May 8, 1759. Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Burney Newspapers Collection (accessed February 4, 2021). Available at:< https://link-gale-com.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/apps/doc/Z2001656794/BBCN?u=unistirl&sid=BBCN&xid=cef00a9d.>

This source was also found by searching the Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Burney Newspaper Collection. It details British naval chronicles of voyages, expeditions and conquests through Asia, Africa and America. The source contains varied information gained from these expeditions about the lands which they either conquered or had dealings with. This source is extremely useful as it is evidently written from a colonial perspective.

The topic I will be researching is how the Russian Revolution’s impact on gender roles specifically in reference to Leadership roles in work and politics. 

Primary Sources

Bisha, Robin, Jehanne M Gheith, Christine Holden and William G Wagner. Russian Women, 1698-1917: Experience and Expression, An Anthology of Sources. Bloomington: Indian University Press, 2002.

The edited collection cited above by Bisha Et Al. is one which provides a holistic look at the gendered experiences in Russian society leading up to 1917. Thus, it serves as a standard by which the changes experienced can be understood. Parts of this text are more relevant than others as some parts of the book focus outside of this project’s scope. However overall it is relevant to consider as background to be understood.

Farmbrough, Florence. With the Armies of the Tsar: A Nurse at the Russian Front in War and Revolution, 1914-1918. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 2000.

Additionally, Farmbrough’s book provides a personal account of the ways in which the war changed gender roles in Russia as women were nurses helping the Russian military during the First World War. A key point of interest is that this account shows women being brought into military service after the February Revolution. 

Kollantai, Alexandra. “New Woman” from The New Morality and the Working Class. Translated by Salvator Attansio and Chris Clayton. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://www.marxists.org/archive/kollonta/1918/new-morality.htm 

Alexandra Kollantai, in this chapter and in her other writings, provides an understanding from inside Lenin’s government of the attempted changes to make Russia more meritocratic and how successful these changes were. This is only one example of many archived pieces of Kollantai’s work. Her memoirs and other writing is important as it chronicles some of the failings of the early Soviet government specifically in relations to women and work.

Secondary Sources

Clements, Barbara Evans. “Working-Class and Peasant Women in the Russian Revolution, 1917-1923.” Signs 8, no. 2 (1982): 215-35. Accessed February 2, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3173897.

Moving onto the secondary sources, Clements provides an explanation of how peasant women in Russia were treated before and after the revolution. This text also provides a strong explanation of how women contributed to the revolution in a perspective not only of a class struggle but also a struggle against the limiting gender roles of Russian society. 

Galili, Ziva. “Women and the Russian Revolution.” Dialectical Anthropology 15, no. 2/3 (1990): 119-27. Accessed February 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29790341.

Galili provides a detailed account of the failings of the Soviet government to reform gender roles after the revolution. They discuss the prioritisation of industrial reform and casual reinforcement of gender stereotypes in this time. Therefore it provides a useful analysis of the years after the revolution. 

Alice Pearson – Annotated Bibliography

My dissertation will consider the use of women as symbols during the Indian Nationalist movement in the nineteenth and twentieth century. I am particularly interested in British attitudes to the practice of Sati and Prostitution in India. I found my secondary sources through Jstor and the footnotes of relevant sources. I found my primary sources through the UK parliamentary papers online collection and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Secondary Sources

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Can the Subaltern Speak? Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1988.

One of the most influential essays of feminist postcolonial theory. This is a fascinating and complex argument that argues the British governments reaction to practice of Sati in India followed the idea of “White men saving brown women from brown men”. This is an interesting example of the postcolonial feminist historiography that I will be examining in my project.

Sinha, Mrinalini. “Refashioning Mother India: Feminism and Nationalism in Late-Colonial India.” Feminist Studies 26, no. 3 (2000): 623. https://doi.org/10.2307/3178643.

This looks at Mayo’s 1927 book titled ‘Mother India’. The book was imperialist propaganda that argued against Indian self-rule. The backlash against this publication triggered a new Liberal Indian feminist discourse. Sinha argues that this new movement redefined the image of ‘Mother India’ and the ‘Modern Indian Woman’ within the nationalist movement.

Thapar, Suruchi. “Women as Activists; Women as Symbols: A Study of the Indian Nationalist Movement.” Feminist Review, no. 44 (1993): 81. https://doi.org/10.2307/1395197.

Thapar’s article is an interesting evaluation of the transforming symbolism of women in the Indian Nationalist movement. It argues that while middle-class women are praised for their contribution to the movement, age and religion were just as important in dividing the movement. Thapar argues that women were used as symbols of unity and the concepts of ‘motherhood’ and ‘femininity’ were adapted to suit the requirements of the current political environment.

Primary Sources

Correspondence between India Office and Government of India on Cantonments Acts and Regulations (1895). 19th Century House of Commons Sessional Papers

This source is an example of the tensions between the British and Indian perspectives on prostitution in India. It details the concerns about venereal disease among the military and shows how the regulation of women became a source of contention between the British and Indians. I would like to look more into the records of the debates concerning prostitution and the practice of Sati in India.

Carmichael, Amy Beatrice, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

This source gives lots of information on the Christian missionary, Amy Beatrice. This account gives an insight into the importance of religion in the debates surrounding women – especially prostitution.