November Reflection

During November I found school textbooks that helped to shape my argument on the sanitising of the Suffragettes. What I did not do was email an expert for their opinion, as this was primary research I originally wanted to complete. While I did not complete this in November, I am not ruling out conducting this research in the next couple of months if I feel it will add to my project.

This month I feel I was more on top of my research than previously as I began looking into suffragettes and the types of crimes that were committed, comparing this to modern day law.

Next month I will progress with my research on individuals I would like to discuss in my dissertation and publish this when it is complete.

Positionality

It is important for me to assess my position in terms of potential bias towards my topic, given my obvious strong opinions on the Suffragettes in regard to a posthumous pardon. I will be open-minded throughout my project, exploring every possible opinion instead of just my own. I plan to consciously seek the opinion of others to gain a bigger picture of my topic, using all of this to contribute to my understanding and final argument, not letting my own opinion discredit the opinion of others.

I wish to keep this in mind to allow me to reevaluate the effectiveness of the position I am taking after the project is completed.

Text Book Research

I used some school history text books to find whether or not the Suffragettes have been sanitised through education. What I expected to find, or indeed hoped to find, was that the criminal acts committed by the Suffragettes were not detailed. I had hoped to use this to prove that they had been sanitised, linking this white-washing of the movement to one perspective that this is the motive behind their pardoning.

What I found was that the criminal acts committed by militant individuals during the movement are in fact detailed. After finding this, I have a changed view of what I will argue overall. I  realised just how important these crimes were for what the movement achieved, and if this can be taught in schools then why are we trying to erase it in society?

Extracts from the text books:

The Twentieth Century World, Josh Brooman, Longman, 1995

Modern Times 1750-1990, Think History, Heinemann, 2004

In my dissertation, I will argue that none of the Suffragettes should be pardoned, as this discredits the crimes they knowingly committed. Pardoning them would just be a way of sanitising them, as I initially thought I would find in the text books. Although I did not find what I expected, I think it is still a valuable piece of research for my project, especially as it helped to shape my argument. I would still like to put forward a few individuals who are most suitable for a pardon if it was ever to be considered, but overall I would like to argue no to my question.

From here I would still be interested in finding ways the Suffragettes have been sanitised, as a way of supporting my argument that pardons may also be seen as a way of doing the same.