Abstract
This article reflects on the pitfalls of the combined search for big and better data and argues for more attention to everyday experiences and incidental evidence. It proposes that including spatial aspects, perspectives from cultural, colonial, and women’s history, as well as widening the source base helps to remedy these challenges, and encourages historians to abandon their hesitations and embrace the uncertainties in doing so. It draws on the results of a research project at the University of Amsterdam that utilizes incidental evidence to enhance our understanding of gendered spatial patterns in premodern cities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 283-310 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | International Review of Social History |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis.
Funding
Research for this article was made possible through a VIDI Grant from the Dutch Research Council NWO, Grant number 276–69–007. This article was first delivered as a keynote lecture to the Golden Agents/Data for History 2022 Conference. My thanks go to the audience and to the organizer Charles van den Heuvel in particular. Henk Niemeijer was instrumental in piecing together the route of the enslaved man through Batavia, and thanks also to Jelle van Lottum for plotting it on a contemporary map. Furthermore, I would like to thank Marie Yasunaga, Bob Pierik, Stephanie Archangel, Vany Susanto, Remco Raben, Jelle van Lottum, Maria Ågren, Jonas Lindstrom, Karin Hofmeester, and Aad Blok for their inspiration and helpful suggestions for improving this article.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 276–69–007 |