Social Science, Cultural Rationalization & the Historical Rise of Schooling
As a computational historical sociologist interested in culture, I use a combo of quantitative and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to analyze big archival data.
Semantic Network of the UK Political Discourse (1851–1885) Showing the Political Problematique of State Schooling
I seek to better understand the rise of state schooling across the West against a context of changing cultural theories of the state, society, and individual. I explore this topic across several projects designed to analyze the official political discourse (~1.1 million parliamentary speeches) and legislative acts in the UK during the long 19th century using computational and quantitative methods.
Related Works
Smith, D.S. (2022, in press). Social scientization and the rise of the schooling state in UK parliamentary discourse, 1803–1909. Social Science History. → view paper
Under Review
Smith, D.S. (2021a, under review). The Making of Mr. Gradgrind: Social Science and the Rationalization of Schooling in Official UK Political Discourse, 1803–1914.
→ view paper
In Preparation
(Manuscript Available)Smith, D.S. (2021b, in prep.). Visions of Deliverance: Social Science and the Expansive Purposiveness of State Schooling in UK Political Discourse during the Long Nineteenth Century. → view paper
Ongoing
(Preliminary Findings Workshop-able)Smith, D.S. Class Acts: Social Science and UK Legislative Action in Education during the Long Nineteenth Century
Culture, Diversity & Power in Science & Education
In collaborative work, I explore the ways culture is entangled in and shapes science and education, particularly in gendered contexts.
An unstable cultural order mediated
by gender as practice
I also seek to understand the ways science can be biased and what we can do about it. I explore the cultural conditions and outcomes of women's incorporation and empowerment in science and education institutions.
Related Works
Kim, L., Smith, D.S., Hofstra, B. McFarland, D. (2022, in press) Gendered Knowledge in Fields and Academic Careers. Research Policy. → view paper
Bromley, P. & Smith, D.S. (2020). “Creating the Canon: The Meaning and Effects of Textbooks and Curricula” in T. Domina, B. Gibbs, L. Nunn, and A. Penner, Eds., Education and Society. University of California Press. → view paper
Smith, D.S., Wendt, H., & Kasper, D. (2017). Social reproduction and sex in German primary schools. Compare: Journal of Comparative and International Education 47(2): 240-256. → view paper
Under Review
Bromley, P. & Smith, D.S. (2021, under review) Women, World Society, and the Expansion of Academic Knowledge: The Study of Gender in Comparative Education Review, 1957–2016. → view paper
In Preparation
(Manuscript Available)Liang, W., Mahowald, K., Raymond, J., Krishna, V., Smith, D.S., McFarland, D., Zou, J. (2021). How random is the review outcome? A systematic study of the impact of external factors on eLife peer review.