Prosopography as a Teaching Tool: Understanding the Essence of Power

Author(s): John Marshall Carter

Source: The Clearing House, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Sep., 1984), pp. 14-17
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
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 Prosopography as
a Teaching Tool:
Understanding the Essence of Power
JOHN MARSHALL CARTER
eaching students to be thoughtful, informed mem-
bers of our electorate is a goal that is at least near
the top of our educational priorities list. Yet, believing
in the viability of the goal means doing something about
it. I would like to suggest what I think is a viable tool for
helping students become better citizens. First, I would
like to offer teachers of history, the other social sci-
ences, and other disciplines an introduction to the dis-
cipline of prosopography. Then, I would like to suggest
how prosopographical methods have been employed
and, most importantly, how these methods can be em-
ployed by teachers and students in the public schools to
understand the nuances of power.
What Is Prosopography?
Ask a simple question and get complex answers. Yet,
before proceeding, we must come to grips with a work-
able definition.
Biography is as old as mankind. Even before written
language was chisled out of the late Neolithic period,
the events of ancestors-births, mating, crises, deaths--
mystified and entertained mankind. Throughout written
history, "There is something in human nature that
makes men more interested in people than events."'
But, prosopography is more than biography. According
to Professor Lawrence Stone, one of the great pro-
ponents of the prosopographical approach:
Prosopography is the investigation of the common
background characteristics of a group of actors in
history by means of a collective study of lives. . . . Pros-
opography is used as a tool with which to attack two of
Dr. Carter is a professor in the Department of
History at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro,
Georgia.
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the most basic problems in history. The first concerns
the roots of political action, the uncovering of the
deeper interests that are sought to lie beneath the
rhetoric of politics; the analysis of the social and
economic affiliations of political groupings; the ex-
posure of the workings of a political machine; and the
identification of those who pull the lever.2
Richard Beringer, another historian who employs pros-
opographical methods, believes that Stone's definition
is too complex.
Collective biography is the simple English term for this
method. It can be made to sound far more technical if
obscured by the jargon of career-line analysis and will be
totally unrecognized when referred to as prosopography.3
Even though Stone's definition may strike us as overly
technical, his simple explanation of the prosopo-
graphical method is quite functional:
The method employed is to establish a universe to be
studied, and then to ask a set of questions-about birth
and death, marriage and family, social origins and in-
herited economic position. . . . The various types of in-
formation about the individuals in the universe are then
juxtaposed for significant variables. They are tested
both for internal correlations and for correlations with
other forms of behavior or action.4
Thus, we may conclude that prosopography is a method
of understanding the essence of power.
How Has Prosopography
Been Used by Historians?
Taking Professor Stone's bipartite explanation of the
prosopographical method, an established universe, and
a set of questions about that universe, we shall now look
at how historians and other social scientists have used
prosopography. Harold D. Lasswell and Daniel Lerner
 1984, Vol. 58
have posed important prosopographical questions which
could be used in any historical field in their World
Revolutionary Elites:
Research on power elites must raise the questions com-
mon to the study of any participant in the political proc-
ess. Who are they? What are their perspectives? In what
arenas do they function? What base values are at their
disposal? What strategies do they use? How successful
are they in influencing outcomes and effects?s5
All of these are significant questions. We shall add more
to their list shortly. Indeed, Lasswell and Lerner's ques-
tions emphasize that in order to get to the core in-
dividual (i.e., Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Idi
Amin), the interested inquirer must view the prosopo-
graphical universe, the group behind the individual.
Prosopographical methods have been employed by
historians of ancient, medieval, and modern history. In
his study of ancient Rome, Sir Ronald Syme, one of Bri-
tain's foremost scholars of ancient times, has written
one of the great prosopographical studies, The Roman
Revolution. Centering on the period 60 B.C. to 14
A.D., Syme attempted to answer the question "How
did Octavius (Caesar Augustus) come to power?" He
answered his question by viewing Octavius against the
background of the aristocracy of the Roman republic
and concluding that no matter how powerful or cunning
a politician is, he cannot hope to succeed without the
backing of an established oligarchy.6 Syme's pros-
opographical universe was the Roman aristocracy.
Methodologically, this was a convenient universe be-
cause of the accessibility of the consular lists and other
primary sources for the late republic.7
The classical works of Suetonius and Plutarch, to
name a couple, provide modern students with conven-
ient prosopographical universes. Suetonius' Lives of the
Twelve Caesars and Plutarch's Parallel Lives" are col-
lections of biographies about men from relatively
similar backgrounds. Coupled with public records
found in works like T.R.S. Broughton's The Mag-
istrates of the Roman Republic, the interested inquirer
can develop his or her own approaches. In addition, the
wealth of ancient prosopographical information found
in Pauly-Wissowa's Real Encyclopedie, the German
reference work, is a boon to the student of ancientpros-
opography.
Medieval history also has its prosopographers. The
renowned English medievalist, Sir Frank Stenton, pro-
duced a very valuable prosopographically oriented
study with his English Families of the Norman Con-
quest. Other medieval prosopographical universes can
be found in such great collections as A. Collins' The
Peerage of England and F. G. Holweck's A Bio-
graphical Dictionary of the Saints and such works as W.
F. Hook's Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury.
More recently, George Beech's "Medieval Proso-
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Prosopography 15
pography," a very important article suggesting uses of
prosopography for medieval history, has given students
a better understanding of medieval prosopography.9
Because of the plethora of documentary evidence
available to students of modern history, it is a fertile
period for prosopographical methods of inquiry. Sir. L.
B. Namier's pioneering work, The Structure of Politics
at the Accession of George III, was a minor prosopo-
graphical classic. N. G. Annan's study of the intellec-
tual elite in nineteenth century Britain demonstrated
that the study of prosopographical groups outside of
politics added a new dimension to prosopography (and
to a student's understanding of the past).'0
American historians, sociologists, and political scien-
tists have turned to prosopographical methods. The fa-
mous American historian, Charles Beard, attempted to
show the common characteristics and political relation-
ships of the founding fathers in An Economic Inter-
pretation of the Constitution of the United States. The
sociologist R. K. Merton and the political scientist D. A.
Rustow have both experimented with prosopography.
More recently, a wide range of studies relevant to proso-
pography have appeared." We can conclude from our
discussion of prosopographical historiography that
many historians and other social scientists have em-
ployed prosopographical methods with a great amount
of success.
How Can Prosopography Be Employed
as a Tool of Political Self-Education?
Teachers, students, parents, and administrators
associated with the public schools can use proso-
pographical methods to help them understand the nu-
ances of power. The following five categories constitute
the results of employing prosopographical methods:
1. A prosopographer attains a political self-education.
2. A prosopographer needs to remember that "all you
need do is count." Prosopography gives the user a sim-
ple, convenient method for determining the nuances of
power.
3. "Seek and ye shall find." Students learn that a po-
litical system such as ours depends upon informed indi-
viduals who are dependent upon themselves as much as
they are on others.
4. "Looking for skeletons and skeleton keys." Stu-
dents learn that they have a proven method for uncov-
ering the often obscure facts of political, religious, ar-
tistic, and social leaders.
5. "Looking for the how's, who's, and why's of
power." Students learn how political figures succeed in
politics. In addition, inquirers can find appropriate role
models for themselves and, most of all, inquirers will
become well-informed, discriminating members of the
electorate.
16 The Clearing House September

Thirty-Three Prosopographical Questions

1. What is my universe (group of people to study: If you want to understand only one individual,
place him or her within his or her appropriate political/social context)?

Some Examples of Prosopographical Universes:

A. Six state governors

B. Twenty presidents of the United States
C. Ten leaders of the Junior Women's Club, 1950-1970
D. Ten Ministers
E. Twenty College Presidents
F. Ten Corporate Executives
G. Four Presidential Candidates

2. What are the names of the elements in my universe?

If you are working on the four Presidential Candidates, the elements would be Mondale, Hart,
Jackson, and Reagan
3. What are the names of the elements' wives/husbands?

4. What was the position held by the parents of the elements of the universe (and their spouses)?

5. To what social organizations (men's; women's; country clubs; Jaycees; Rotarians, etc.) do
they belong? Their spouses?

6. Why do they belong to these organizations?

7. To what political organizations do the elements and their spouses belong (obviously a party,
but also organizations like Americans for Democratic Action, Edmund Burke Society)?

8. Were their parents in politics?

9. Are the elements of the universe wealthy by community standards?

10. How do their incomes compare with the community average?

I1. Do the elements of the universe own large tracts of property and/or considerable capital?

12. How did they come to own this property?

13. Are these elements of your universe known for their altruism and philanthropy if they happen
to be considered wealthy?

14. Are these elements considered to be self-made men or women?

15. Do the elements of your universe tend to be liberal or conservative in politics?

16. Have they followed political lines in the past which are inconsistent with their current
philosophies?

17. Have the elements of your universe ever been linked with crime or criminals?

18. What was the nature of this association?

19. What is the religious affiliation of each element in your universe?

20. Do the elements in your universe have what may be considered "influential friends" (who are
these friends)?

21. What reasons for pursuing political office have been given by the elements in your universe?

22. Have the elements in your universe used extensive campaigning tactics?

23. What promises have the elements in your universe made to their prospective constituents?

24. How many children does each element have?

25. Where do the children go to school?

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 1984, Vol. 58 Prosopography 17

26. What is the educational level of each element in your universe?

27. Were the elements in your universe active in clubs, sororities/fraternities, athletic teams, and
campus movements? Which ones?

28. Have the elements in your universe been successful in other fields before deciding to seek
political office?

29. What is the view of each element in your universe of the nature of the office which he or she
seeks?

30. How will each element support himself or herself while campaigning?

31. Choose key issues. What is the position of each element in your universe?

32. Does each element in your universe have a relative who has run and been elected to public office?

33. What does each element in your universe believe to be the greatest problem and how does each
propose to solve it?

Thus far, I have suggested possible definitions for are assuring ourselves of thoughtful, questioning future
prosopography. I have demonstrated that many histor- citizens.
ians and other social scientists have employed proso-
pography in their investigations. Then, I speculated NOTES

about what could be gained by using prosopographical

methods. Finally, I would like to suggest a method for
acquiring prosopographical information. I have as-
sembled 33 questions which can be employed in any
number of ways, such as interviews, questionnaires, and
other ways. Students in history or other social science
classes might be invited to devise a list of their own pros-
opographical questions. After the data are collected on
a particular group of people, students should be en-
couraged to look for patterns that the data form.
Conclusion
Prosopography is a way to understand the essence of
power. Using the historical subdiscipline of proso-
pography as a teaching tool can be an interesting way to
help students understand the problems associated with
power and the career development of those who seek
power. Many historians and other social scientists have
employed prosopographical methods in their desire to
understand past political developments and the careers
of important historical characters. Some of the methods
employed by practicing historians can be used by stu-
dents in the public schools to help them become better
members of the electorate by becoming more analytical
and critical observers of the political process.
Most of us ask ourselves many questions before we
mark an X on the ballot or pull the lever in the voting
booth. Unfortunately, some do not. By training stu-
dents to be more critical members of the electorate, we
1. T. A. Dorey, ed., Latin Biography (London, 1967), xi.
2. Lawrence Stone, "Prosopography," Daedelus (1971), 46.
Stone has published one of the classic prosopographical works: The
Crisis of the Aristocracy, 1558-1641 (Oxford, 1965).
3. Richard Beringer, Historical Analysis: Contemporary Ap-
proaches to Clio's Craft (New York), 1978, p. 106.
4. Stone, "Prosopography," p. 46.
5. Harold D. Lasswell and Daniel Lerner, World Revolutionary
Elites: Studies in Coercive Ideological Movements (Cambridge, 1965),
p. 12.
6. Ronald Syme, Roman Revolution (London, 1939). F. Munzer's
Romische Adelparteien Und Adelsfamilien (Stuttgart, 1920) sparked a
moderate flowering of Roman prosopography.
7. Stone, "Prosopography," p. 71.
8. Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, trans, Alexander
Thomson (London, 1911); Plutarch, Lives, trans. Bernadotte Perrin
(Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1949).
9. F. M. Stenton, English Families and the Norman Conquest
(London, 1944); A. Collins, The Peerage of England (London, 1714);
F. G. Holweck, A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints (London,
1924); W. F. Hook, Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury (London,
1860-76); G. Beech, "Prosopography," Introduction to Medieval
Studies (New York, 1976).
10. L. B. Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of
George III, 2 Vols. (London, 1929); N. G. Annan, "The Intellectual
Aristocracy," in J. H. Plumb, Studies in Social History (London,
1955), pp. 241-287.
11. Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitu-
tion of the United States (New York, 1913); R. K. Merton, Science,
Technology, and Society in Seventeenth Century England (London,
1949); D. A. Rustow, "The Study of Elites, "World Politics 18
(1966); The Rich, The Well Born, and The Powerful: Elites and Upper
Classes in History, ed. Frederic Cople Jaher (Urbana, Illinois, 1973)
contains essays by scholars in fields from ancient Greece to twentieth
century America; see also, John Marshall Carter, "Prosopography
and the Roman Republic," in Arms and the Man: Studies in Roman
and Medieval Warfare and Society (Manhattan, Kansas, 1983), pp.
1-43.

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