Triangulating public administrational and genealogical data: the case of Australian migration research

Abstract

'In der australischen Migrationsforschung existieren seit langem einige Paradigmen, z.B. dass die australische Bevölkerung zu 98% ethnische Briten sind. An diesem Beispiel wird gezeigt, wie Forscher vorgehen können, wenn neue Daten dieses Paradigma in Frage stellen. Die Datentriangulation stellt hierbei ein nützliches Mittel dar, um die Güte der Daten zu bestimmen. Um sie erfolgreich einzusetzen, müssen soziologische, historische und ethnographische Methoden und Konzepte verknüpft werden.' (Autorenreferat)

'In this paper, data triangulation is used as a means of verifying, and further exploring, paradigm challenging data that emerged unexpectedly in a research project. The field of this study is Australian migration sociology. The discovery of data which suggested contradictions to the accepted notion that the Australian population was historically '98 percent' British origin, has also lead to what can be seen as a return to the traditional, but seemingly forgotten (in English speaking countries), relationship that existed between ethnography, history and sociology. The rediscovery of connections between these now separate disciplines, and the strengths and critiques that can be made of the now unfamiliar (in sociological but not anthropological/ ethnographic research) tools of marriage records and family genealogy is the subject of this paper.' (author's abstract)