Voices of observation and styles of representation in nineteenth-century sociographic journalism

This paper explores the ethnographic qualities of nineteenth-century sociographic journalism. It examines texts published in English, French, and Spanish journals, magazines, and serials, which deal with social behaviours, types, and institutions of the modernizing societies. By focusing on the representational techniques with which these 'social sketches' approach the social world and the ways the authors reflect on ethnographic authority and representation, this paper aims at situating early journalism among the founding genres of ethnography and social study.