Methodology

This page serves as an introduction to the Methodology section.  As described in the Datasets section, my primary dataset is a CSV file that contains a number of different data fields:

  • First name and last name
  • ITS reference number
  • Title
  • Prisoner number
  • Date of birth
  • Birthplace
  • Nationality
  • Religion
  • Occupation
  • Catholic diocese
  • Date of arrest
  • Locations and dates of imprisonment (for example, if an individual was transferred to another camp, etc.)
  • ultimate fate (murdered or survived)

In particular, correlations between these fields can be explored by using different visualization tools discussed in class.  For the correlations involving geographic information, I have chosen to use Carto and Palladio.  For other correlations, I have chosen to use Python to create plots.  

The primary motivation in exploring these different correlations is to identify interesting trends, with the hope of then delving further into canonical historical research in order to formulate arguments to justify why these correlations are present.  In this sense, these visualizations serve to guide my historical research questions. 

In addition, I have chosen to use Neatline to produce an interactive map showing detailed biographical information of the 60 or so priests for whom I have extensive biographical information from both datasets, allowing me to present the integrated information to the user in a dynamic, engaging manner.  Furthermore, I have chosen to use Voyant and Wordle to explore frequency of words within text fields, as well as to generate word clouds.

Given that the clergy incarceration data for Dachau Concentration Camp have never been explored in this manner before, these visualizations alone are valuable tools in understanding the information that otherwise would remain obfuscated in spreadsheet form.  Furthermore, mapping movement of people throughout space and time is an essential component of Holocaust research, especially in regard to understanding the transportation mechanisms and logistics of the Third Reich.

The following sections serve to outline my methodology in more detail.