Logic(s) of Historical Persistence

• In Event: Methodological Issues in Comparative Historical Analysis

Abstract

While persistence and change have long been central in the study of politics, we do not yet fully understand the criteria by which claims of persistence can be made. What is the dividing line between continuity with the past and change from the past? This paper addresses that question through an examination of how social scientists discuss and assert persistence of social phenomena even in the presence of change. It focuses in particular on the persistence of group-based entities such as organizations and institutions. It argues that common scholarly justifications for persistence are conceptually and empirically flawed, and offers superior alternatives.

Author

• Jason Wittenberg, University of California, Berkeley