Historical Approaches to Media Studies

Abstract

In recent decades, media history has become increasingly prominent, with scholarship emerging from a wide variety of disciplines. This chapter examines the methodological issues involved in conducting historical research in media studies. Using Adrian Bingham's Family Newspapers? and Laura Beers's Your Britain as case studies, it explains such topics as historical context, locating primary sources, and the production and reception of media texts. In addition, it outlines the wide variety of historical approaches that can be employed, including textual analysis, policy history, institutional history, and biography.