An occasional Newsletter from Preserved Stories.

Methodological individualism, network analysis, and the emergence of postmodernity

Peter Burke’s History and social theory, second edition (2005) deals with links between history and social theory. The book has been discussed in other blog posts, which can be found in the Historiography category at this website. Imagination in historical practice Reading this book has vastly enhanced and clarified my understanding of the role — and […]

Mimico 20/20 Spring 2012 feedback report distributed by Matthew Premru

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I attended a June 5, 2012 Mimico 20/20 workshop and was impressed with how it was organized. A report based on community input at these workshops has been published. You can access the file by clicking on the link below: Feedback Report Community Workshops Spring 2012 On August 17, 2012 Matthew Premru […]

Ghosts of Empire (2011) analyzes British imperialism from the perspective of its rulers

There was nothing liberal about the British empire, claims to the contrary notwithstanding. In Ghosts of Empire (2011), Kwasi Kwarteng argues that “Britain’s empire was not liberal in the sense of being a plural, democratic society. The empire openly repudiated ideas of human equality and put power and responsibility into the hands of a chosen elite, drawn […]

What is history now? (2002) is edited by David Cannadine

John Vincent in 1966 wrote that the great moral idea of British liberalism was manliness. This is a topic Susan Pedersen discusses in a chapter entitled “What is political history now?” in What is history now? (2002). According to Vincent, for a nineteenth-century man one’s assignment in life was “to provide for his own family, have his own […]

How to start a self-help group

‘I enjoy making presentations to large audiences’ (article in August 2012 newsletter of The Indian Stammering Association)

My volunteer work on behalf of people who stutter is largely in the past; my current volunteer work focuses on my local community. By way of example, I’m currently writing a series of blog posts related to the life and times of Colonel Samuel Smith, who built a log cabin in 1797 in what is […]

Myth, ritual and the oral (2010)

Update: A Feb. 21, 2014 New Yorker article is entitled: “Why is academic writing so academic?” [End of update]   In Myth, ritual and the oral (2010), Jack Goody discusses fiction and non-fiction, the role of narrative in oral and lecto-oral societies, and the history of novels and the theatre. In lecto-oral cultures, one finds […]