networks – Abby Mullen

Another Look at Our Diplomatic Graph

By abbymullen | May 18, 2013May 17, 2013 by abbymullen

I wrote yesterday about my network graph about U.S.-Barbary diplomatic relations. The graph I showed was color-coded by nationality. That code was hand-inputted by me, no computation or algorithm necessary. A perhaps more interesting, and enigmatic, color-coding is the result of running a modularity algorithm in Gephi. This algorithm creates sub-communities from the large network graph. I will not lie: I do not understand the math behind the result. But the communities created by the…

A Graph of Diplomatic Wrangling in Algiers

By abbymullen | May 17, 2013 by abbymullen

When the United States became independent after the American Revolution, it had to struggle to protect its seaborne commerce in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Americans had to rely on the goodwill of France, Portugal, and other European powers because the United States lacked the naval power necessary to protect its own shipping. Historical Background Americans had to negotiate with the Barbary states to secure the release of hostages, taken by Barbary corsairs, and to decide…

Database of Officers of the Line

By abbymullen | January 5, 2013January 5, 2013 by abbymullen

Becoming an officer of the line in the navy is a bit like getting on the tenure track in academia. Not all officers are created equal–officers such as pursers, sailing masters, and chaplains were classified as officers and received the preferential treatment given to officers. But they could never be captains–they were not in line for those sorts of promotions. Data The Naval Historical Center has made lists available of the officers of the navy…