Big Data and historical social science. Issue 2 (24th November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bearman, Peter
• Is Part Of: Big data & society. Volume 2:Issue 2(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-11-24
• Subjects: Big Data -- historical social science; Big data -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Data mining -- Periodicals; 300.28557
• DOI: 10.1177/2053951715612497
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2053-9517

Abstract

"Big Data" can revolutionize historical social science if it arises from substantively important contexts and is oriented towards answering substantively important questions. Such data may be especially important for answering previously largely intractable questions about the timing and sequencing of events, and of event boundaries. That said, "Big Data" makes no difference for social scientists and historians whose accounts rest on narrative sentences. Since such accounts are the norm, the effects of Big Data on the practice of historical social science may be more limited than one might wish.