I have to call it "Chapter X" because I'm not sure what number it will be. Does the introduction count as chapter 1? If so it'd probably be chapter 3, if not, chapter 2. Today I finished a first draft of Chapter X. Of course, this is a first draft in the most basic sense. It's basically a 48 page recitation of the evidence I plan to use for the chapter organized in chrono-thematic fashion. The structure is rudimentary at best, and there is no analysis yet, but still it feels like a pretty big accomplishment and a solid departure point for crafting the chapter further. I know what direction I want to take the chapter, it's just a matter of doing it now and getting some constructive feedback along the way. At present, I plan to put this one on the shelf and work on its compatriot chapter - same time period, different thematic focus. Once I have evidence drafts of both chapters done I'll go back and do some more of the analysis and plug in the secondary works.
On Sunday I was reading a chapter in an edited collection that helped me to re-think some of the theoretical aspects of the project, particularly those relating to memory, and the ways in which the Irish experience differs from other areas, namely Britain. While thinking about these things I also thought about how to frame Chapter X, which was something that I was struggling with because it does not deal with memory in the traditional sense of commemoration and remembrance events. What clicked was that those rituals were aimed at the men who died during the war, but a different memory landscape existed for those who survived and returned. It's here that the subject of Chapter X, the British Legion's approach to housing and employment issues, fits into the memory rhetoric.
Is it better to get the evidence drafts done and go back and touch them up or to complete an evidence draft of each chapter and then go back and doctor the whole thing? If I get in a real rhythm with the evidence drafts that might be the way to go. Any thoughts on the writing process are welcome. Also, any thoughts about at what point is it prudent to have my adviser take a look? Would feedback at this time be too vague, or is it worth a conversation just to make sure things are on the right track?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sharing sources
I received an email this morning from an historian in Ireland I had contacted about some sources she had used in chapter she had written. I was hoping that she would be willing to share some transcripts of interviews she had conducted with Irish veterans of the First World War. I had tried to contact this person previous, outlining my project in broad terms, but never heard back from her. This most recent message garnered a response. She politely told me, in not so many words, that my subject was too close to hers (admittedly her published works have been influential, why else would I contact her?), and since she was now working on her PhD she "cannot make available recordings and other materials which I have assembled for my PhD." She added, "Should you wish to avoid duplication in our two studies, you might consider concentrating on the cultural consequences of the Great War in Ireland. Music seems a particularly rich vein." ARGH! That's exactly what I'm trying/intending to do. I looked at an abstract of her project and she's concerned with the politics of Great War memory in Ireland. Granted, politics are never far from ANY subject in Irish history, but I only care about them insofar as they shape the trajectory of Irish history in general. I don't want to study politics intensively. Other folks I have contacted have been more than willing to provide suggestions and offer help, but I was really hoping that this person, who is probably one of the most learned on the subject, would fall into that category. I must admit I'm pretty bummed about this.
I sent back a polite email, thanking her for her time, explaining, briefly, I was interested in the cultural aspect, and that, perhaps, we could be of help to each other in the future. No reason to slam the door closed, eh?
On the one hand I get it. The dissertation is a big project and nobody wants their work copied. In that regard, some sources may need to be protected to ensure the uniqueness and the integrity of a project. On the other hand, it seems detrimental to furthering an aspect of history. Perhaps that's a bit idealistic, but the few people who study the Great War in Ireland understand that it's not your typical brand of Irish history. To study it means committing one's work to exposing people to an aspect of the past written out of the history books, generally. Dissertations must be unique pieces of research, but no two projects will ever be exactly the same, even if they use (some of) the same sources. In that regard, the unwillingness to share material seems a bit myopic. If it were something that I could go back and find at an archive, that would be one thing, and, perhaps, because these are interviews she personally conducted there is a personal stake to be had in how they're used and who uses them. But unless the interviewees specified that no one else should use them, that seems a bit selfish (to me at least).
A former colleague of mine at Loyola once told me, to paraphase, there are two types of Irish historians, those that are friendly and willing to do whatever they can to help you, and those who are bastards. Based on a single email I cannot put the subject of this post firmly into the latter category because of the caveats already mentioned. But it seems that the dial certainly was nudged in that direction a little bit (but to her credit she was polite, and, on the surface, made a valid argument).
This begs the question: should people in the same field be expected to share sources? Where does one draw the line with sharing sources? How should requests for information by colleagues be handled?
I sent back a polite email, thanking her for her time, explaining, briefly, I was interested in the cultural aspect, and that, perhaps, we could be of help to each other in the future. No reason to slam the door closed, eh?
On the one hand I get it. The dissertation is a big project and nobody wants their work copied. In that regard, some sources may need to be protected to ensure the uniqueness and the integrity of a project. On the other hand, it seems detrimental to furthering an aspect of history. Perhaps that's a bit idealistic, but the few people who study the Great War in Ireland understand that it's not your typical brand of Irish history. To study it means committing one's work to exposing people to an aspect of the past written out of the history books, generally. Dissertations must be unique pieces of research, but no two projects will ever be exactly the same, even if they use (some of) the same sources. In that regard, the unwillingness to share material seems a bit myopic. If it were something that I could go back and find at an archive, that would be one thing, and, perhaps, because these are interviews she personally conducted there is a personal stake to be had in how they're used and who uses them. But unless the interviewees specified that no one else should use them, that seems a bit selfish (to me at least).
A former colleague of mine at Loyola once told me, to paraphase, there are two types of Irish historians, those that are friendly and willing to do whatever they can to help you, and those who are bastards. Based on a single email I cannot put the subject of this post firmly into the latter category because of the caveats already mentioned. But it seems that the dial certainly was nudged in that direction a little bit (but to her credit she was polite, and, on the surface, made a valid argument).
This begs the question: should people in the same field be expected to share sources? Where does one draw the line with sharing sources? How should requests for information by colleagues be handled?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Songs that tell a story
As much as I love improvisational music like the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers, nothing quite grabs me like a well written song. It's usually something simple, with three chords, a great melody, and lyrics that tell a story. Perhaps it's the historian in me that is particularly interested in stories and the context out of which they emerge. I was jamming with one of my buddies last week and since we're both Mark Knopfler fans, I suggested we work on the tune "Sailing to Philadelphia." I had randomly come across it on my iPod the week before and was blown away instantly. First off, not only does it have Mark Knopfler and his signature guitar work, but he trades verses with James Taylor. The lyrics tell of two English surveyors who come to America. The names of these surveyors? Mason and Dixon. The song addresses several tropes inherent in the American psyche: adventure, movement west, pulling one up by their bootstraps, overcoming humble beginnings. It really is a great song and I recommend picking up a copy.
Songs that tell a story are what got me to where I am today. When I was a freshman in undergrad I worked at a local art gallery selling stuff on eBay. Over the Christmas break one of the owner's former employees came back from MSU and put in a few hours while he was in town. We had similar musical interests and he turned me on to the band Solas, who he had seen at a festival. I really liked what I heard and picked up some of their stuff. A Solas "story-song" favorite is "The Newry Highwayman." From there I came across the band Seven Nations, a Celtic-Rock band for lack of a better description, who covered a number of traditional songs, many of which tell a story, such as Canadee-I-O, Back Home In Derry, The Pound A Week Rise, and Crooked Jack. It was these two musical groups that fostered my initial interest in Irish history. I heard the stories in the songs and wanted to learn more about who these people were and the types of things that affected them. Seven Nations covered some Christy Moore, and I ended up getting into Christy. As THE Irish balladeer he plays plenty of songs that tell a story.
As a musician, one of the hardest things to remember are lyrics. I find that when a song tells a story it's much easier to remember because I think of how the story goes and the lyrics just come to me.
Some of my favorite "story songs." There are plenty of other story songs out there, especially by Dylan, Moore, Guthrie, and Garcia, but these are the ones I always find myself coming back to:
Little Musgrave - Christy Moore: A song about infidelity and retribution set to a great melody. Check out the live version with Planxty.
Ruben & Cherise - Jerry Garcia: A similar trope to that of Little Musgrave. This one is about a musician, his instrument, and the woman who potentially comes between them. The acoustic versions of this song are the best, notably 5/5/82.
Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan: Zimmy is always good for a long narrative and Tangled Up In Blue is no exception. This one, for those who don't know, revolved around a man and a woman who get together, split up, and then run into each other over the years. At least that what I get out of it.
Back Home In Derry - Christy Moore: This song was actually written by Bobby Sands and set to the tune of "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It's about being transported and how resistance and ideology run deeper than judicial punishment.
The Boxer - Paul Simon: Coming of age in the big city. No one writes like Simon.
Gonna Move - Paul Pena: Another coming of age song. This one talks about overcoming obstacles, especially other people's expectations.
Pastures Of Plenty - Woody Guthrie: Woody wrote this song about Okies moving out of the Dustbowl, but the Solas does an amazing version of this one. Well worth checking out.
Songs that tell a story are what got me to where I am today. When I was a freshman in undergrad I worked at a local art gallery selling stuff on eBay. Over the Christmas break one of the owner's former employees came back from MSU and put in a few hours while he was in town. We had similar musical interests and he turned me on to the band Solas, who he had seen at a festival. I really liked what I heard and picked up some of their stuff. A Solas "story-song" favorite is "The Newry Highwayman." From there I came across the band Seven Nations, a Celtic-Rock band for lack of a better description, who covered a number of traditional songs, many of which tell a story, such as Canadee-I-O, Back Home In Derry, The Pound A Week Rise, and Crooked Jack. It was these two musical groups that fostered my initial interest in Irish history. I heard the stories in the songs and wanted to learn more about who these people were and the types of things that affected them. Seven Nations covered some Christy Moore, and I ended up getting into Christy. As THE Irish balladeer he plays plenty of songs that tell a story.
As a musician, one of the hardest things to remember are lyrics. I find that when a song tells a story it's much easier to remember because I think of how the story goes and the lyrics just come to me.
Some of my favorite "story songs." There are plenty of other story songs out there, especially by Dylan, Moore, Guthrie, and Garcia, but these are the ones I always find myself coming back to:
Little Musgrave - Christy Moore: A song about infidelity and retribution set to a great melody. Check out the live version with Planxty.
Ruben & Cherise - Jerry Garcia: A similar trope to that of Little Musgrave. This one is about a musician, his instrument, and the woman who potentially comes between them. The acoustic versions of this song are the best, notably 5/5/82.
Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan: Zimmy is always good for a long narrative and Tangled Up In Blue is no exception. This one, for those who don't know, revolved around a man and a woman who get together, split up, and then run into each other over the years. At least that what I get out of it.
Back Home In Derry - Christy Moore: This song was actually written by Bobby Sands and set to the tune of "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It's about being transported and how resistance and ideology run deeper than judicial punishment.
The Boxer - Paul Simon: Coming of age in the big city. No one writes like Simon.
Gonna Move - Paul Pena: Another coming of age song. This one talks about overcoming obstacles, especially other people's expectations.
Pastures Of Plenty - Woody Guthrie: Woody wrote this song about Okies moving out of the Dustbowl, but the Solas does an amazing version of this one. Well worth checking out.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Miracles happen
At about 10pm tonight we checked the answering machine and there were two calls for me regarding my lost items from last weekend. As it turns out, everything lost has been recovered, and at minimal expense. My faith in humanity is restored!
On another note, I went to the dissertation writing group and it was a really positive experience. We're hoping for still greater numbers but it was good to have people in a similar situation to bounce thoughts and concerns off of. I asked about the chapter I'm currently working on and got some sound advise about splitting it into two chapters. Hopefully that will make things easier at these opening stages. We plan to meet the first and third Monday each month, with extra time off during the holidays. The plan is to establish goals for how much work will get done and to possibly present material to each other for feedback. It's really a way to help stay on track and establish some structure and accountability to the dissertation writing process. I think it will be a good motivator. The guy who initiated the whole thing even have "livestrong" style bracelets made that read "LUC Ph.D. ABD" on one side and "History Department" on the other - sort of a constant reminder of what we all should be doing, even if we're not. So far so good.
On another note, I went to the dissertation writing group and it was a really positive experience. We're hoping for still greater numbers but it was good to have people in a similar situation to bounce thoughts and concerns off of. I asked about the chapter I'm currently working on and got some sound advise about splitting it into two chapters. Hopefully that will make things easier at these opening stages. We plan to meet the first and third Monday each month, with extra time off during the holidays. The plan is to establish goals for how much work will get done and to possibly present material to each other for feedback. It's really a way to help stay on track and establish some structure and accountability to the dissertation writing process. I think it will be a good motivator. The guy who initiated the whole thing even have "livestrong" style bracelets made that read "LUC Ph.D. ABD" on one side and "History Department" on the other - sort of a constant reminder of what we all should be doing, even if we're not. So far so good.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Updates
Nothing much going on here, aside from a turbulent weekend last. Due to some irresponsible inebriation I lost a number of personal effects, but, for the most part, have resolved all the problems something like that causes. To make matters worse, I had a gig on Wednesday evening, and, once again, none of my friends showed. Apparently the Cubs game was a major deterrent. Oh well. Two more shows coming up in the next month. If this trend continues I might have to invest in some new friends. Either that, or give up live music, but who really wants to do that?
Another thing of interest next week is a meeting of a Dissertation Writing Group organized by some of my colleagues in the Loyola history department. The first meeting is on Monday and I'm intrigued to see what the whole thing is about. I'll post any thoughts or suggestions as they come.
The new computer continues to be a boon. I've got a lot of material for the current section of the chapter I'm working on. I think next week I'll get back to writing and hopefully get a chunk of the chapter done! We'll see. The one thing I have noticed thus far is that it is easy to get carried away with detail and context. Currently I'm looking at the way housing for ex-servicemen contributed to the memory of the Great War in Ireland. It is necessary to give background on the various organizations charged with overseeing the construction of ex-servicemen's houses, but at the same time there is a fine line between giving context and getting into administrative history. I'm trying to avoid the latter. Perhaps this is something to bring up with the dissertation writing group, right?
Another thing of interest next week is a meeting of a Dissertation Writing Group organized by some of my colleagues in the Loyola history department. The first meeting is on Monday and I'm intrigued to see what the whole thing is about. I'll post any thoughts or suggestions as they come.
The new computer continues to be a boon. I've got a lot of material for the current section of the chapter I'm working on. I think next week I'll get back to writing and hopefully get a chunk of the chapter done! We'll see. The one thing I have noticed thus far is that it is easy to get carried away with detail and context. Currently I'm looking at the way housing for ex-servicemen contributed to the memory of the Great War in Ireland. It is necessary to give background on the various organizations charged with overseeing the construction of ex-servicemen's houses, but at the same time there is a fine line between giving context and getting into administrative history. I'm trying to avoid the latter. Perhaps this is something to bring up with the dissertation writing group, right?
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