Model Cases: On Canonical Research Objects and Sites

Monika Krause's Model Cases study investigates the concrete material research objects behind shared conversations about classes of objects, periods, and regions in the social sciences and humanities. She argues that scholars select research objects influenced by ideological factors, convenience, historicist ideas, general population schemas, and specific scholarly communities. Some research objects, such as the French Revolution, have a disproportionate impact on our understanding of general ideas, while neglected research objects and combinations of research objects and scholarly concerns can be useful for scholarly communities.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 224 pages
\n Publication date: 03 September 2021
\n Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
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Monika Krause delves into the tangible material research objects that underpin the shared discussions surrounding classes of objects, periods, and regions in the social sciences and humanities. It is widely acknowledged that biologists, when exploring broad inquiries about life, development, and disease, tend to concentrate on specific organisms, such as mice, fruit flies, or particular viruses. Krause reveals that scholars in these fields also selectively employ certain cases over others, influenced by a diverse array of ideological factors as well as more mundane considerations, including convenience, historical notions of development over time, prevalent schemas within the general population, and specific schemas within particular scholarly communities.

Certain research objects undergo repeated scrutiny and exert a disproportionate influence on our understanding of more general ideas: The French Revolution, for instance, has left a profound impact on our notions of revolution, citizenship, and political modernity, much like the studies of doctors have shaped the research agenda in the field of professions. Through an extensive analysis of the role of model cases across various disciplines, Krause makes a compelling argument that these cases can be valuable to scholarly communities when recognized and considered as distinct objects. She also underscores the significance of research strategies that prioritize neglected research objects and explore overlooked combinations of research objects and scholarly concerns.

\n Weight: 520g\n
Dimension: 239 x 514 x 20 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780226780665\n \n