Networking Albertan Literary History, 1975-1979: A Bibliographic and Social Network Analysis

Abstract

Can a bibliographic network identify the major characteristics of a corresponding social network, and what can those networks reveal about Albertan literary history in the 1970s? By combining bibliometric network methods with social network analysis, this thesis attempts to answer the above questions through an exploration of Albertan literary history between 1975 and 1979. Bibliometric network studies are applied in the field of library and information studies to study the creation and distribution of texts, while social network analysis is more widely applied to a variety of situations across the humanities and social sciences. By creating networks of bibliographic data from texts created by Albertan writers in 1975 through 1979 and a corresponding social network of those same writers, this project uses comparative analysis to examine the relationship between bibliographic and social networks. These networks are also examined for new or insightful dynamics into the history of literary communities in 1970s Alberta.