USING PRIMARY SOURCES

Open Educational Resource

by Jonathan HoggLaura Balderstone
Contributors: Zoe AlkerAnna Bocking-WelchAlexandrina BuchananDana BultmanJessica DouthwaiteMarianna DudleyKathryn DuttonMartin HealeDeana HeathRichard HuzzeyKyle JacksonKate MarshGraeme J. MilneAngel O’DonnellChris PearsonAndrew ReddenMichael RobinsonLeon RochaSiobhan TalbottMark TowseyEmily TraffordKayleigh WallLucy WilliamsHarry Wood

Using Primary Sources is an Open Access e-textbook comprising 20 chapters and over 150 original documents, supporting history students and teachers in the study of primary sources. Edited by Dr. Jonathan Hogg and Dr. Laura Balderstone at the University of Liverpool and published by Liverpool University Press and the University of Liverpool Library in partnership with JISC.

Using Primary Sources is an Open Access teaching and study resource that combines rare archival source materials with high quality peer-reviewed chapters by leading academics. Covering major themes within the medieval, early modern and modern periods, this easy to access e-textbook provides students with the opportunity to examine rare and original material in detail on their computer, tablet or phone as well as learn how they can integrate the source material in their own written work. With more themes in development, Using Primary Sources will continue to grow, providing students and teachers in the humanities with an invaluable free resource for students on how to use primary source material in their studies.

What do students think? "I’d never previously considered something like a river as a historical artefact! But this resource has allowed me to revisit and absorb new theoretical approaches without having to wade through pages of historiographical jargon, which can be overwhelming." Harry Roberts, University of Liverpool

Medieval & Early Modern

Popular Religion chapter | Popular Religion resource collection by Dr Martin Heale, University of Liverpool
Secular Power chapter | Secular Power resource collection by Dr Kathryn Dutton, University of Manchester
India, Colonialism and ‘Anti-colonialism’ chapter | India, Colonialism and ‘Anti-colonialism’ resource collection by Professor Kate Marsh, University of Liverpool
Ideas chapter | Ideas resource collection by Professor Mark Towsey, University of Liverpool
Trade and Commerce chapter | Trade and Commerce resource collection by Dr Siobhan Talbott, University of Keele
Social Class chapter | Social Class resource collection by Professor Dana Bultman, University of Georgia
Identity chapter | Identity resource collection by Dr Angel O’Donnell, King's College London
Architecture chapter | Architecture resource collection by Dr Alexandrina Buchanan, University of Liverpool
Gods, Spirits, People chapter | Gods, Spirits, People resource collection by Dr Andrew Redden and Dr Kyle Jackson, University of Liverpool

Modern

Memory chapter | Memory resource collection by Dr Jessica Douthwaite and Dr Jonathan Hogg, University of Liverpool
Environment chapter | Environment resource collection by Dr Marianna Dudley, University of Bristol, and Dr Chris Pearson, University of Liverpool
Business History chapter | Business History resource collection by Dr Graeme J. Milne, University of Liverpool
Non-Governmental Organisations and Voluntary Action chapter | Non-Governmental Organisations and Voluntary Action resource collection by Dr Anna Bocking-Welch, University of Liverpool
Crime History chapter | Crime resource collection by Dr Zoe Alker and Dr Lucy Williams, University of Liverpool
Conflict and Violence chapter | Conflict and Violence resource collection by Dr Harry Wood, University of Liverpool
Mental Health chapter | Mental Health resource collection by Dr Michael Robinson, University of Liverpool Race and Ethnicity chapter | Race and Ethnicity resource collection by Dr Emily Trafford, University of Liverpool
Global Histories of Health and Medicine chapter | Global Histories of Health and Medicine resource collection by Dr Leon Rocha and Dr Kayleigh Wall, University of Liverpool
Politics and Political Culture chapter | Politics and Political Culture resource collection by Dr Richard Huzzey, Durham University
Colonial Violence chapter | Colonial Violence resource collection by Dr Deana Heath, University of Liverpool

Chapters

Medieval & Early Modern

  • Popular Religion

    by Martin Heale

    This chapter will introduce some of the most important sources for medieval popular religion and key methodological issues surrounding the interpretation of primary source materials, which can be found in the connected Popular Religion resource collection.

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  • Secular Power in the Central Middle Ages

    by Kathryn Dutton

    This chapter explores ways in which particular sources illuminate how secular power was practiced in the central Middle Ages (c. 1100–1215) in Western Europe, with examples curated in the Secular Power resource collection.

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  • India, Colonialism and ‘Anti-colonialism’ in the Eighteenth Century

    by Kate Marsh

    Focusing on British and French colonialisms in India, this chapter will demonstrate that the ideological basis of colonial rule was still in a state of flux and formation, with examples curated in the India, Colonialism and ‘Anti-colonialism’ resource collection.

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  • Ideas

    by Mark Towsey

    This chapter discusses the range of primary sources that can be used to write about intellectual history and the history of ideas, with sources curated in the accompanying Ideas resource collection.

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  • Trade and Commerce

    by Siobhan Talbott

    This chapter explores how to use primary sources to write histories of trade and commerce in the early modern period, with sources curated in the accompanying Trade and Commerce resource collection.

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  • Social Class

    by Dana Bultman

    This chapter discusses how to select relevant primary sources and analyse them using current lines of questioning from sociology as well as semiotic methods of interpretation that can be used across disciplines in the humanities, with relevant sources curated in the Social Class resource collection.

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  • Identity

    by Angel O’Donnell

    This chapter discusses how to use primary sources to study identity in the early modern period, with relevant sources curated in the Identity resource collection.

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  • Architecture

    by Alexandrina Buchanan

    This chapter will look at how to use sources to write about buildings and also how to use buildings (and information about them) as sources for history, with relevant sources curated in the Architecture resource collection.

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  • Gods, Spirits, People

    by Andrew Redden, Kyle Jackson

    This chapter will look at primary sources that deal specifically with human interaction with non-human entities – in particular, gods and spirits, with relevant sources curated in the Gods, Spirits, People resource collection.

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Modern

  • Memory

    by Jessica Douthwaite, Jonathan Hogg

    This chapter will focus on ways in which conceptualising ‘memory’ can help historians make sense of a particular aspect of history, in this case the social history of the nuclear age, with relevant sources curated in the accompanying Memory resource collection.

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  • Environment

    by Marianna Dudley, Chris Pearson

    This chapter will explore how primary sources can be used to analyse the environment, with related sources curated in the accompanying Environment resource collection.

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  • Business History

    by Graeme J. Milne

    This chapter will explore how primary sources can be used to study business history, with related sources curated in the accompanying Business History resource collection.

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  • Non-Governmental Organisations and Voluntary Action

    by Anna Bocking-Welch

    This chapter will offer advice on using primary sources to write histories of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and voluntary action, with related sources curated in the accompanying Non-Governmental Organisations and Voluntary Action resource collection.

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  • Crime History

    by Zoe Alker, Lucy Williams

    This chapter provides information about how to use primary sources when writing histories of Victorian crime, with related sources curated in the accompanying Crime resource collection.

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  • Conflict and Violence

    by Harry Wood

    This chapter provides information about how to use primary sources when studying conflict and violence, with related sources curated in the accompanying Conflict and Violence resource collection.

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  • Mental Health

    by Michael Robinson

    This chapter aims to help students who are engaged in studies of mental health, mental health institutions, as well as other aspects of the history of medicine, on how to use primary sources, with examples curated in the Mental Health resource collection.

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  • Race and Ethnicity

    by Emily Trafford

    This chapter examines the ways that researchers can use primary sources to study race and ethnicity, with examples curated in the Race and Ethnicity resource collection.

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  • Global Histories of Health and Medicine

    by Leon Rocha, Kayleigh Wall

    This chapter examines the ways researchers can use primary sources to study medicine, health, and disease from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century, with examples curated in the Global Histories of Health and Medicine resource collection.

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  • Politics and Political Culture

    by Richard Huzzey

    This chapter will consider the use of primary sources to study the politics of modern Britain, with examples curated in the Politics and Political Culture resource collection.

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  • Colonial Violence

    by Deana Heath

    This chapter will consider the use of primary sources to study colonial violence, with examples curated in the Colonial Violence resource collection.

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Resource collections

Resource Collections

Single Resources

Metadata

  • publisher
    Liverpool University Press
  • publisher place
    Liverpool, UK
  • rights
    This work has been made publicly available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.