Changes In Social Position Research Articles

A systematic review of literature on homicide followed by suicide and mental state of perpetrators.

Homicide followed by suicide is rare, devastating and perpetrated worldwide. It is commonly assumed that the perpetrator had a mental disorder, raising concomitant questions about prevention. Though events have been reported, there has been no previous systematic review of the mental health of perpetrators. Our aims were twofold. First, to identify whether there are recognisable subgroups of homicide-suicides in published literature and, secondly, to investigate the relationship between perpetrator mental state and aspects of the incident. We conducted a systematic review of published literature on studies of homicide followed within 24h by suicide or serious suicide attempt that included measures of perpetrator mental state. Sixty studies were identified, most from North America or Europe. Methodologically, studies were too heterogeneous for meta-analysis. They fell into three main groups: family, mass shooter, and terrorist with an additional small mixed group. There was evidence of mental illness in a minority of perpetrators; its absence in the remainder was only partially evidenced. There was no clear association between any specific mental illness and homicide-suicide type, although depression was most cited. Social role disjunction, motive, substance misuse and relevant risk or threat behaviours were themes identified across all groups. Pre-established ideology was relevant in the mass shooter and terrorism groups. Prior trauma history was notable in the terrorist group. Research data were necessarily collected post-incident and in most cases without a standardised approach, so findings must be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, they suggest at least some preventive role for mental health professionals. Those presenting to services with depression, suicidal ideation, relationship difficulties and actual, or perceived, changes in social position or role would merit detailed, supportive assessment over time.

Risk and restraint-The key to understanding the decreasing use of alcohol for young people in high income countries?

In this article we seek to understand the changing social position of alcohol use for young people in Australia by identifying how alcohol has become framed as posing a significant risk to their bodies and futures. Forty interviews were conducted with young people aged 18-21 years from Melbourne, Australia, who had previously identified as light drinkers or abstainers. Drawing on insights from contemporary sociologies of risk, we explored how risk was discussed as a governing concept that shaped young people's views of alcohol, and how it encouraged or necessitated risk-avoidance in daily life. Participants drew on a range of risk discourses in framing their abstention or moderate drinking along the lines of health, wellness, wisdom and productivity. They reiterated social constructions of heavy or regular alcohol use as irresponsible, threatening and potentially addictive. The focus on personal responsibility was striking in most accounts. Participants seemed to have routinised ways of practicing risk avoidance and coordinated drinking practices with other practices in their everyday life, with alcohol therefore 'competing for time'. Our findings endorse the idea that discourses of risk and individual responsibility shape the contemporary socio-cultural value of alcohol for young people. Risk avoidance has become routine and is manifested through the practice of restraint and control. This appears particular to high-income countries like Australia, where concerns about young people's futures and economic security are increasing, and where neoliberal politics are the foundations of governmental ideology.

Educational Value of Indonesian Feminism in Kitab Sarinah

The educational value of Indonesian Feminism is contained in the book, this research seeks to explore the value and social identity. The analysis uses Educational Psychology and Feminism approaches. The qualitative method is used through literature review and text interpretation of Sarinah's book. The research instrument used human instrument. Based on the results of the analysis, the learning process of feminism education in Sarinah's book includes three phases of human evolution, the initial phase, women occupy a low position in life, in the second evolutionary phase, women occupy the highest position in life, and in the third evolutionary phase, women again occupy a low position in life. There are important factors that contribute to the success of students in a learning process, these factors include internal and external factors. Internal factors: Health, Intelligence and talent, Interest and motivation, and Learning style. External factors: Family/parents, School/teachers, Community/environment, Role of family/parents. Highlights: The research explores the educational value of Indonesian Feminism by analyzing Sarinah's book through the lenses of Educational Psychology and Feminism. The learning process of feminism education in Sarinah's book is depicted through three phases of human evolution, reflecting the changing social positions of women. Internal factors (health, intelligence and talent, interest and motivation, learning style) and external factors (family/parents, school/teachers, community/environment, role of family/parents) play crucial roles in students' success in the learning process. Keywords: Indonesian Feminism, Educational Psychology, Qualitative research method, Sarinah's book, Social identity

In search of a cool identity: how young people negotiate religious and ethnic boundaries in a superdiverse context

In this paper, we aim to study how young people navigate a super-diverse majority-minority context, and how they negotiate bright religious and ethnic symbolic boundaries. Our study is based on 40 in-depth interviews with young people from various ethnic, social and religious backgrounds in the super-diverse city of Antwerp. Our analysis shows that young people generally draw on a cultural repertoire of commonplace diversity to navigate various peer relations and present diversity as a normal element of everyday life. However, our analysis also shows how ethnic minority youth experience bright ethnic and religious boundaries and need to navigate social exclusion processes. While minority youth rework bright boundaries by inverting their othered position and redefining coolness through a repertoire of ethnic hybridity, white majority youth face new challenges as their previously taken-for-granted dominant position becomes questioned and contested within a super-diverse setting. Our analysis shows how white majority youth manage their changing social position by drawing upon cultural repertoires of ethnic purity and ‘normal’ youthfulness, yet this also raises the question of whether they can draw on cultural repertoires, which do not imply nativist white identity politics.

«ЛИХВАРСЬКИЙ СПРИТ І ШАХРАЙСЬКА ХИТРІСТЬ»: СТАНІСЛАВ ТАРНОВСЬКИЙ ПРО ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЮ ЗАМОЖНОЇ ШЛЯХТИ ГАЛИЧИНИ В УМОВАХ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ ВІЛЬНОРИНКОВОГО СУСПІЛЬСТВА

The article is devoted to the analysis of the essay “Portions” (“Porcyi”) authored by the famous Polish scientist, politician and publicist S. Tarnowski (1837-1917), which was published in November 1874 and revealed changes in social position, economic activity and behavior of wealthy Galician nobles, who, taking advantage of the plight of the peasantry, were actively engaged in usury, earning a solid income. The author states that remaining outside the “noble origin of the owners of estates”, these nobles actually turned into rural extortionists, who are essentially no different from the representatives of the “merchant’s craft” (commissioners, brokers, moneylenders, etc.), genus classes which did not provide for honor and conscience. This, according to S. Tarnowsky, caused enormous damage to the “Polish cause”, as it destroyed the barely planned agreement between the nobility and the peasantry.

Life chances after surgery of congenital heart disease: A case-control-study of inter- and intragenerational social mobility over 15 years.

BackgroundPatients of congenital heart disease surgery have good prospects for reaching old age. Against the backdrop of increasing life expectancies, the question of how well such patients are mastering daily routines and their working life emerges. In our study, the educational and occupational performance of patients over 15 years was examined.MethodsIntergenerational social mobility (changes in social positions from the parental generation to the generation of children) was examined in terms of education, and intragenerational social mobility (changes in positions within the same generation, i.e., in individuals over their life courses) was examined in terms of occupational positions. Comparisons were made between patients and a control group drawn from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Controls were drawn from respondents who participated in the 2004 and 2018 SOEP surveys.ResultsThe data were from 244 out of 360 patients (68%) with complete social data from the first survey (2003–2004) and who were included in the follow-up (2017–2019), and 238 controls were drawn from the SOEP. At the time of the second survey, subjects’ ages ranged from 28 to 59 years of age (M = 40.1 years). Intergenerational educational mobility did not differ between cases and controls. For intragenerational social mobility, downward changes were more frequent among controls. This latter finding may be explained by patients retiring earlier than the general population. Retirement rates increased over time, particularly among patients with severe congenital malformations. Unemployment rates were also higher among patients.ConclusionsTaken together, although a considerable proportion of patients with congenital heart disease retired prematurely or never entered the labour force, their educational and occupational careers proceeded more favourably than expected.

Social Inequalities and Dynamics of the COVID-19 Epidemic: Evidence from France

Background: Our main objective was to study the early social dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic in France, taking into account gender, class, and ethnicity inequalities in living conditions.Methods: A random population-based survey was conducted in France in May 2020, during and post COVID-19 lockdown, in which 77,588 participants aged 18-64 were included in this study. We used multinomial regressions to identify changes in social position and exposure factors associated with symptoms of anosmia/ageusia during the first epidemic peak in late March and thereafter.Findings: In all, 2,045 (1.53% (95%CI 1.46%-1.61%)) participants reported anosmia/ageusia (1.13% during the epidemic peak and 0.40% after), with strong variations according to regions. Women and ethno-racial minorities remained at higher risk of anosmia/ageusia during and after the peak. Whereas senior executive professionals were more affected than lower social classes at the peak of the epidemic, this effect disappeared afterwards. Adjusting on key exposure factors substantially attenuated these associations, except for gender differences. While high density of the place of residence was associated with anosmia/ageusia during the peak, but no longer after, the opposite trend was observed for living in overcrowded housing. Having worked outside the home during lockdown was the most strongly associated exposure factor, and even more so after the peak.Interpretation: The shift in the social profile of the epidemic was related to a shift in exposure factors under the implementation of stringent collective prevention measures. Our results notably stress the importance of working outside the home, all the more so in essential occupations.Funding Statement: Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale).French Ministry for Research. Drees. Dr. Bajos has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. [856478])Declaration of Interests: None.Ethics Approval Statement: The survey was approved by the CNIL (French independent administrative authority responsible for data protection) on April 25th 2020 (ref: MLD/MFI/AR205138) and by the “Comité de protection des personnes” (French equivalent of the Research Ethics Committee) on April 24th. The survey also obtained an agreement from the “Comité du Label de la statistique publique”, proving its adequacy to statistical quality standards.

The social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: a hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon

Coastal and riparian flooding are costly and disruptive natural hazards and already a regular part of life in some areas of the USA. Flooding events caused by sea-level rise and climate change are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future, creating social, ecological, and economic problems at local, city, state, and federal levels. It is clear that normative, infrastructure-oriented, and strictly hydrological solutions to flooding have not appropriately met these challenges, nor have they adequately addressed relevant socio-political factors which shape hydrological processes. Using the case study of Tillamook County, this study draws upon qualitative interview data to identify and explain social factors which have influenced the outcome of a collaborative, socially engaged flood management project. These include previous flood experience; emotions and feelings; interests and concerns; preferred management strategies; barriers to community-scientific engagement; and perceptions of a mediation process. This situation is further explored within the framework of social geometry, which is used to explain changes in social position and relationships through an interactive, collaborative process. In this case, mediation is shown to decrease both relational space and differences in status between the two primary actor groups, leading to mutually agreeable outcomes but not without dispute. Flood managers and researchers may find this case study useful when analyzing qualitative data related to flood risk management, and/or planning flood management strategies, particularly in disaster-prone regions.

Europeanization process in Hanoi in the early 20th Century – Viewed from changing social position of women

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century was a period that Western culture had a strong influence on East Asia countries. The need for finding new markets and expanding colonies of Western countries made most countries of East Asia were at risk of becoming Western colonies. This historical situation forced East Asia countries - whether they like it or not - to "Europeanize" and to absorb Western civilization achievements to survive. However, whether the impacts of Europeanization on values of culture were positive or negative, the Europeanization was strongly depended on the cultural characteristics and processes in each country. In the early twentieth century, under the impact of the process of Europeanization, large cities in Vietnam - especially Hanoi - greatly transformed the appearance and functions from medieval to early modern cities. Through research on the changing social position of Hanoi women in the process of Europeanization in the early 20th century on four dimensions: Time, space, human, and methods, the paper indicated the reasons, characteristics, rules, trends of the fluctuation of cultural values ​​in Hanoi in the early 20th century under the impact of the Europeanization process.

DESIGN IN THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL TERRITORIES

The article is devoted to the study of the system of socio-cultural development of small territories through the design of social changes by means of culture, the implementation of which is initiated by the local community. In modern conditions, the design of individual changes in the development of territories is becoming increasingly relevant, especially for small territories where traditional development resources are practically absent, which causes destructive trends in the way of life of these territories and in their socio-demographic structure. It is the project activity based on the initiatives of individual residents who are able to organize like-minded people around them, identify an idea and a specific plan for its implementation that becomes a driver of social changes, changes in social positions and roles, a factor of eventfulness and transformation of the population's attitude to their place of residence. The results of the study of statistical data of project activities in the framework of socio-cultural activity and participation in the program "Cultural mosaic of small towns and villages" presented in the article reflect the growing interest in culture as a resource for the development of the territory. And the results of the study prove that the initial orientation of the socio-cultural project to strategic goals allows for a fairly short period to activate the resources of the local community and ensure the progressive development of the territory, increase its attractiveness and comfort for people's lives.

Interwar Yugoslav state-building and the changing social position of the Sokol gymnastics movement

The Sokol gymnastics movement was both in numbers and in spatial range one of the largest voluntary associations in interwar Yugoslavia. It was very active and visible, through numerous public activities at the local, regional, national and even international level, prestigious new halls and regular publications and media presence. In giving a historical overview of the Sokol movement against the background of interwar Yugoslav state-building, this article focusses on the politicisation and state incorporation of the association. During the 1920s, the Sokol served as a proxy for local and regional political struggles between centralist and decentralist parties in the Croatian part of the country. Under the Royal Dictatorship, the Sokol movement developed into a compulsory and state-controlled institution for physical and national education. This article argues that the incorporation of the Sokol movement in the state-controlled civil sphere was not a one-directional development. The Sokol movement itself made use of the central state’s predisposition towards state control over associative culture for internal institutional purposes. In the process, however, the social position of the Sokol movement transformed from a voluntary association that could mediate between state and society into an exclusive marker of loyalty to nation and state.

Women in the migrant economy. A positional approach to contextualize gendered transnational trajectories

ABSTRACTDrawing on the life histories of migrant women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and Spain, this article explores the influence of transnational trajectories on their social positions and business strategies. A translocational positional approach enables us to research the transnational strategies of women entrepreneurs more effectively in addition to examining the changes in social positions and gendered identities between the country of origin and the country of destination. This approach contributes to scholarship on ‘context’ by offering a transnational gendered dimension in relation to the effects of social, spatial and institutional factors. Our findings demonstrate how female migrant entrepreneurs redefine their social status in different contexts by establishing a business and challenge, contest or comply with gender relations in their transnational entrepreneurial journeys.

Power, privilege or right: A radical-Feminist evaluation of Attar of roses and other stories of Pakistan

The present research paper is an evaluation of power, privilege or right enjoyed by the men in Pakistani Patriarchal society in Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan, a collection by Tahira Naqvi. Naqvi is an emerging female Pakistani writer in English, who has used her fiction to radicalize the marginalized position of Pakistani women. The objective of this paper is to pinpoint the social and political position of patriarchal society through which woman subjugation by men becomes a power, a privilege or a right to be exercised. Radical Feminism will serve as a theoretical and conceptual framework for the apt exploration of the problematic. Naqvi has a well-organized stance to present in her stories and there is a true depiction of woman subjugation, patriarchal oppression and sense of insecurity in housewives and working ladies as well. However, Naqvi has delineated her female characters rebellious of set norms and traditions which show seeds of radicalism in our society. The tentative conclusion of this research will hint at the changing social position of men and women in our society. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2018.00008.0

Brand choice and brand switching: a case study of relocated consumers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact on consumer behaviour/brand choice resulting in the relocation of communities from informal to formal settlements. Design/methodology/approach A survey conducted among a probability sample of 384 consumers comprising different “socio-income” groups, who were relocated from informal settlements as well as others who relocated voluntarily to Cosmo City, a state designed residential development, to explore their brand choice behaviour. Findings It was ascertained that households switch brands if the degree of social change is greater than the perceived strength of the current brand, and an improvement in the space or house size which impacted their lifestyle. There is also a significant relationship between the product format and brand switching; between brand choice and change in the place and type of residence. Research limitations/implications It is evident that residential location, changes in social positions, inclusive of place of residence, lifestyle changes, and functional benefits, are essential factors for consideration in the development of a coherent brand strategy that seeks to adequately address the toilet-care product brand needs of consumers in the new democratic South Africa. Practical implications Marketers have to move beyond simple demographics and use multifaceted approaches to understanding brand switching behaviour, because consumers adapt quickly to changes in the market. Marketers also need to be cognisant of the rapid changes in consumers’ perception of their lifestyle change, and how they (consumers) relate to these changes. Social implications The relocation was viewed as a “social disruption” which in this study was the “relocation” which changed the place of and type of dwelling/home ownership type. Marketers also need to be cognisant of the rapid changes in consumers’ perception of their lifestyle change, and how they (consumers) relate to these changes. Originality/value The concept of social disruption in the form or relocated customers has not been studied in South Africa, especially with respect to the impact on brand choice of toilet cleaning products.

Conviviendo con la escasez. Cultura y adaptabilidad pesquera en el lago de Chapala

Este artículo examina las respuestas adaptativas de comunidades lacustres ante cambios ambien­tales. En particular se estudian las localidades cercanas al lago de Chapala, el cual se encuentra en riesgo por las oscilaciones en su nivel de agua. Estos cambios implican una reorganización social, en especial para grupos como los pescadores que son directamente dependientes de la integridad lacustre. Utilizando un marco sobre adaptación y adaptabilidad, se contrastan diversas estrategias históricas y actuales para enfrentar la escasez y el estrés lacustre en La Palma, Michoacán. Con ello pretendemos resaltar el lugar social cambiante de la pesca y sus características culturales más influyentes, las cuales han permitido su continuidad.

STILL SEARCHING FOR A TRUE RACE? REPLY TO KRAMER ET AL. AND ALBA ET AL.

STILL SEARCHING FOR A TRUE RACE? REPLY TO KRAMER ET AL. AND ALBA ET AL.

Evolving Gastronomic Experiences: From Food to Foodies to Foodscapes

The relationship between gastronomy and tourism has developed rapidly in recent decades. Gastronomy has shifted from being a peripheral concern for destinations to being one of the major reasons for some tourists to visit. This review article analyses the causes of this shift, both in terms of the changing social position of gastronomy and in the context of the emerging experience economy. In particular, three moments of experience production are seen as marking stages in the development of the relationship between gastronomy and tourism: the first generation of gastronomic experiences based on the production of themed experiences for consumers; the second generation of experiences cocreated by producers and consumers; and the third generation of gastronomic experiences related to the development of communities around gastronomy and food. In this process a shift is observed from the taste patterns of individual “foodies” to the development of entire foodscapes.

Social Transitions Cause Rapid Behavioral and Neuroendocrine Changes.

In species that form dominance hierarchies, there are often opportunities for low-ranking individuals to challenge high-ranking ones, resulting in a rise or fall in social rank. How does an animal rapidly detect, process, and then respond to these social transitions? This article explores and summarizes how these social transitions can rapidly (within 24 h) impact an individual's behavior, physiology, and brain, using the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, as a model. Male A. burtoni form hierarchies in which a few brightly-colored dominant males defend territories and spawn with females, while the remaining males are subordinate, more drab-colored, do not hold a territory, and have minimal opportunities for reproduction. These social phenotypes are plastic and reversible, meaning that individual males may switch between dominant and subordinate status multiple times within a lifetime. When the social environment is manipulated to create males that either ascend (subordinate to dominant) or descend (dominant to subordinate) in rank, there are rapid changes in behavior, circulating hormones, and levels of gene expression in the brain that reflect the direction of transition. For example, within minutes, males ascending in status show bright coloration, a distinct eye-bar, increased dominance behaviors, activation of brain nuclei in the social behavior network, and higher levels of sex steroids in the plasma. Ascending males also show rapid changes in levels of neuropeptide and steroid receptors in the brain, as well as in the pituitary and testes. To further examine hormone-behavior relationships in this species during rapid social ascent, the present study also measured levels of testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone, estradiol, progestins, and cortisol in the plasma during the first week of social ascent and tested for correlations with behavior. Plasma levels of all steroids were rapidly increased at 30 min after social ascent, but were not correlated with behavior during the initial rise in rank, suggesting that behavior is dissociated from endocrine status. These changes during social ascent are then compared with our current knowledge about males descending in rank, who rapidly show faded coloration, decreased dominance behaviors, increased subordinate behaviors, and higher circulating levels of cortisol. Collectively, this work highlights how the perception of similar social cues that are opposite in value are rapidly translated into adaptive behavioral and neuroendocrine changes that promote survival and reproductive fitness. Finally, future directions are proposed to better understand the mechanisms that govern these rapid changes in social position.

A Model Heart: Public Displays of Emotion in Sedgwick’s A New-England Tale

A Model Heart: Public Displays of Emotion in Sedgwick’s A New-England Tale Catherine Q. Forsa (bio) Catharine Maria Sedgwick was an affect theorist. This description may seem surprising given a tradition of criticism situating her as a religious reformer in which her first novel, A New-England Tale (1822), is typically read as an attack on Calvinism. But religion comprises only one part of Sedgwick’s didactic novel. It gives “social virtues” as much attention as religious virtue in presenting emotions as powerful social tools.1 The novel’s heroine, Jane Elton, elevates her position within her New England town by displaying emotions in ways that others admire. Yet, despite the importance of emotions in the novel, this aspect remains mostly unexamined, perhaps because Sedgwick’s message deviates from a well-documented tradition in nineteenth-century women’s writing, especially in the sentimental novel, that encouraged women to cultivate emotions such as sympathy, compassion, and love. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous direction in Uncle Tom’s Cabin to “feel right” exemplifies this tradition in urging readers to show sympathy to others.2 This direction reflects a contemporaneous “culture of sentiment,” which celebrated feelings that signaled selflessness.3 Writing when this culture was developing, Sedgwick explores the complexity of feelings.4 She encourages readers to espouse emotions such as sympathy, [End Page 411] but she also shows how it is impossible to always “feel right” and to always be selfless. Her heroine often feels the “wrong” emotions such as anger and pride that do not facilitate sympathetic bonds; however, she appears to “feel right.” In making this distinction, Sedgwick describes the nature of emotions as having a split, two-part structure with interior, automatic, corporeal responses that are separate from exterior, controllable, social expressions. She introduces this model in the novel and then develops it in a series of conduct manuals published from 1822 through the 1840s.5 In understanding how emotions animate, readers could manage their expressions of emotion and ultimately use them, as Jane does, to improve their reputations. While this advice on social advancement may be expected from conduct books, Sedgwick also features this compelling prescriptive theory in her early novel A New-England Tale. I argue that emotions—and not more traditional means such as wealth—emerge as a major reason for characters’ changes in social position. Jane, Bet, and Mrs. Wilson feel many of the same emotions, including anger, pride, grief, and sympathy, but only Jane’s expressions signal selflessness and self-possession, qualities that her neighbors value. And only Jane gains respect. Her expressions, and not her actual feelings, are integral to her rise in position. In one example that illustrates this model, Jane explains how she chooses which emotions to display. Speaking with her friend Mary Hull, she shares that she often feels anger, an emotion inconsistent with “feeling right.” She becomes aware of this emotion by feeling her “temper rising” within her body, and, although she cannot prevent it, she can manage it and conceal it from others.6 In one strategy, she diverts her attention from the anger. She regularly practices other ways to “restrain” certain emotions. For example, “Jane was making a strong mental effort to subdue that longing after liberty, that lurks in every heart. Habitual discipline had rendered it comparatively easy for her to restrain her wishes” (NET, 63–64). Then, she [End Page 412] explains, “I sometimes feel the rising of a pride in my heart,” but she takes measures to appear humble (NET, 64). In each case, Jane’s appearance matters most, as Mary admires how Jane presents herself, believing her emotions to be markers of good character. Mary’s reaction underscores how emotions are not epiphenomenal but rather have a pragmatic, social function. This function can be illuminated in examining contemporary affect theory. Originating in the body and occurring independently of thought, Jane’s anger and pride are corporeal and automatic. For contemporary theorist Brian Massumi, affect has an “irreducibly bodily and automatic nature.”7 It is an “intensity” that is “embodied in purely automatic reactions most directly manifested at the skin—at the surface of the body, at its interface with things.” 8...

The very personal history of Nithard: family and honour in the Carolingian world

Nithard's Histories of the civil wars fought between Louis the Pious's sons reveal much about mid‐ninth‐century nobility, political values, and the author's changing social position. This article considers how Nithard's immediate familial history affected the text's composition. We argue that his incorporation of authorial voice and detail, crafting of the royal lineage, and emphasis on fraternitas suggest that Nithard employed the text to fight for legitimacy and honour, both familial and individual. We propose that the Histories should be read as a social commemoration of Nithard's familial memories, thus complicating the assumption that family histories were the purview of women.