In the last decade the Digital Humanities (DH) movement has swept the academic landscape in the United States, Europe and China, DH has become a new mantra. However, we argue that the real transformative power transcends the broad DH label, rooted in the depth and specificity of computational methodologies. By critically examining examples drawn from disciplines like history, literature, and sociology, we highlight how computational methods offer both macroscopic and microscopic insights, reshaping the very essence of research.

Presentation

In the last decade the Digital Humanities (DH) movement has swept the academic landscape in the United States, offering innovative intersections between digital tools and traditional humanities. More recently, in Europe and China, DH has become a new mantra. However, we argue that the real transformative power transcends the broad DH label, rooted in the depth and specificity of computational methodologies. By critically examining examples drawn from disciplines like history, literature, and sociology, we highlight how computational methods offer both macroscopic and microscopic insights, reshaping the very essence of research. The future beckons not a supersession of traditional methods, but a harmonious integration, championing methodological rigor and critical digital literacy. Join us to navigate this exciting crossroads, advocating for a future that is both technologically advanced and intellectually robust.

Program (9h-18h)

• Christian Henriot & Cécile Armand, Aix-Marseille University, Beyond the Digital Humanities: A Position paper
• Alíz Horváth, Eötvös Loránd University, Central Margins in the Intellectual History of Japanese History Writing through the Case of the Mito School (1657-1906)
• Pierre Magistry, INALCO, Beyond the optimism around huge foundation models in machine learning
• Shih-Pei Chen, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Fenye by the Numbers: A Quantitative Analysis of Astrological Contents in Chinese Local Gazetteers
• Baptiste Blouin, Aix-Marseille University, Bridging NLP and DH: Beyond metrics to meaning
• Lena Henningsen, Freiburg University, Reading Practices in the People’s Republic of China: Digital Tools developed by the ReadChina Project
• Christian Henriot, Aix-Marseille University, Eminent Chinese of the Shenbao: How to ‘read’ 50,525 newspaper articles

Information

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Free entrance to the event on site.