Introducing ethnohistorical research to multimodal studies

O’Hagan, Lauren Alex

doi:10.1177/26349795221132471

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The case study of Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School artefact collections illustrate how educational history can be combined with multimodal social semiotics “in order to strengthen the social of social semiotics” (O’Hagan, 2022; 373). Our paper can be seen as a response to a perceived research gap, as we apply both approaches with mutual benefit.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The historical approach enables us to understand meaning-making within a larger sociocultural and sociopolitical context (cf. O’Hagan, 2022). Multimodal social semiotics offers a rich and valuable toolkit for a close analysis of the meaning potential and educational use of objects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analyzing artefacts is not new to multimodal researchers, but so far, multimodal research has mainly focused on a contemporary context, by, for example, examining how new media and digital technology have changed the conditions for communication (see e.g., Rowsell, 2011; Björkvall, 2014). There are a few historical approaches to social semiotics (O’Hagan, 2022; Ravelli and Wu, 2022; Bezemer and Kress, 2009; Jewitt and Jones, 2005) as well as attempts within educational history to use multimodality as an analytical framework (Priem and Thyssen, 2013; Thyssen and Priem, 2013). In the paper, we introduce educational history to multimodal research by combining a source-oriented approach with multimodal social semiotics.…”

Section: Introduction: “I Love These Collections”mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The historical perspective enables an understanding of meaning-making within a larger context of sociocultural practices and sociopolitical forces (cf. O’Hagan, 2022) which have largely been missing in multimodal studies. Studies within educational history have often been concerned with the organizational frames that sets conditions for education (e.g., Evertsson, 2022) or single artefacts rather than looking at their meaning potentials and resources as parts of an ensemble (e.g.…”

Section: Introduction: “I Love These Collections”mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teaching through objects and collections: The case of Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School and school museum 1830-1960

Insulander

Thorsén

2023

Multimodality & Society

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This paper aims to introduce educational history to multimodal studies by combining a source-oriented approach with multimodal social semiotics. We trace the role of objects and collections in teaching and learning, and focus on Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School in Sweden 1830-1960 as a case example. Closely examining original documents, remaining physical objects, and examples of their situated use as represented in photographs and drawings, the paper provides a nuanced perspective on how object-based pedagogy was applied. It traces how objects and artefacts were incorporated into the school’s collections, by the actions of different actors, in processes of recontextualisation and framing. The activity types that we use as examples, include: drawing lessons in art, weapons practice in physical education, plant collecting in botany, and map exercises in history. These examples show how objects and their meaning potential were used in teaching and learning, and how they realized certain discourses of schooling. Based on our examples, we can see how educational discourses such as progressivism came to have different impact in different subjects. While an authoritarian and national discourse prevailed in art and physical education, a scientific and progressive discourse seem to have been established in botany and history. By combining multimodality with historical research, we can understand meaning-making within a larger context of sociocultural practices and sociopolitical forces.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction: “I Love These Collections”mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction: “I Love These Collections”mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Teaching through objects and collections: The case of Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School and school museum 1830-1960

Insulander

Thorsén

2023

Multimodality & Society

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“…In doing so, essences not depicted by the written word, such as feelings, emotions and values, are captured (cf. O'Hagan, 2022b).…”

Section: Theoretical and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Welcome to pure food city”: tracing discourses of health in the promotional publications of the Postum Cereal Company, 1920-1925

O’Hagan

2023

JHRM

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Purpose This paper aims to investigate three promotional publications produced by the Postum Cereal Company – A Trip Through Postumville (1920), How I Make Postum (1924) and The Wonderful Lunch Boxes (1925) – with the aim of understanding how language and other semiotic resources are used to promote its products as good and healthy choices. Design/methodology/approach The three publications were collected from the HathiTrust Digital Library and University of South Florida Tampa Special Collections. They were subjected to multimodal critical discourse analysis to tease out their subtle characteristics and how a combination of language, image, colour, typography and composition are used to represent certain ideas and values related to health and well-being. Findings The publications subscribe to three distinct genres – “inside the factory”, “friendly spokesperson” and “fictional world” – each of which are aimed at different target audiences. The first seeks to promote Postum as an open and transparent company; the second to promote Postum as a company that cares about its consumers; and the third to promote the health benefits of Postum in a fun and accessible manner. Nonetheless, they are united in their overall objective to link the regular consumption of Postum as essential for good health. Originality/value To date, few studies have been conducted on the Postum Cereal Company, while the limited research conducted on promotional publications has tended to overlook discourses of health and well-being. The three genres outlined in this study, thus, have the potential to foster a reappraisal of promotional publications and showcase their ability to offer new understandings on historical approaches to marketing, particularly the link with health and science.

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The semiotic remediation of hardtack biscuits during World War One

O’Hagan

2024

Visual Studies

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Introducing ethnohistorical research to multimodal studies

Cited by 4 publications

References 49 publications

Teaching through objects and collections: The case of Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School and school museum 1830-1960

Teaching through objects and collections: The case of Strängnäs Secondary Grammar School and school museum 1830-1960

“Welcome to pure food city”: tracing discourses of health in the promotional publications of the Postum Cereal Company, 1920-1925

The semiotic remediation of hardtack biscuits during World War One

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