Scaling up archival text analysis with the blockmodeling of n-gram networks -- A case study of Bulgaria's representation in the Osservatore Romano (January-May 1877)

TL;DR

This study combines archival text analysis with network clustering to examine Bulgaria's representation in 1877 Osservatore Romano, revealing how lexical choices reflected and influenced political perceptions of Bulgarian nationalism.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach by applying blockmodeling of n-gram networks to archival newspaper data, bridging text analysis and network analysis.

Findings

Networks of Bulgaria and Russia are isomorphic and overlap with Germany, Britain, and War.

The coverage exhibits a core-semiperiphery-periphery structure.

Lexical choices delegitimized Bulgarian national revival, influenced by the Holy See.

Abstract

This paper seeks to bridge the gap between archival text analysis and network analysis by applying network clustering methods to analyze the coverage of Bulgaria in 123 issues of the newspaper Osservatore Romano published between January and May 1877. Utilizing optical character recognition and generalized homogeneity blockmodeling, the study constructs networks of relevant keywords. Those including the sets Bulgaria and Russia are rather isomorphic and they largely overlap with those for Germany, Britain, and War. In structural terms, the blockmodel of the two networks exhibits a clear core-semiperiphery-periphery structure that reflects relations between concepts in the newpaper's coverage. The newspaper's lexical choices effectively delegitimised the Bulgarian national revival, highlighting the influence of the Holy See on the newspaper's editorial line.