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Digital humanities

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Digital humanities is a special way of studying human culture.

Pride and Prejudice in Voyant Tools
Pride and Prejudice in Voyant Tools

It happens where computers meet the humanities. The humanities include subjects like history, art, and music. Scholars use digital tools to look at these things in new ways. They do not just use paper books anymore. They use technology to find patterns in big groups of data. This field is always changing and growing. It is often called a "big tent" because it covers so many different ideas.

Digital Humanities Stack (from Berry and Fagerjord 2017- 18)
Digital Humanities Stack (from Berry and Fagerjord 2017- 18)

This work happens in many different steps. First, scholars collect digital resources like old texts or images. Next, they use computer tools to analyze that information. They might use data mining to find secrets in large sets of facts. They might also use 3D modeling to look at old objects. Some people use digital mapping to see where history happened. They can also use visualizations to turn numbers into pictures. This helps them see things that were hard to find before. It is a two-way relationship between people and machines.

This field started a long time ago. It grew out of something called humanities computing. In 1946, a scholar named Roberto Busa began important work. He worked with IBM to create a computer list of writings. This list was called the Index Thomisticus. He studied the works of Thomas Aquinas. In the 1950s, Josephine Miles also began pioneering work. Other people like Gerhard Sperl used computers for Digital Assyriology in Austria. These early steps helped change how we study the past.

Many important groups and dates helped the field grow. The first journal, Computers and the Humanities, started in 1966. In 1973, the CAA association was founded for archaeology. Later, the TEI project launched in 1987 to help tag digital texts. This led to XML, which is a way to organize digital editing. In 2004, editors John Unsworth, Susan Schreibman, and Ray Siemens used a new name. They wanted to show it was more than just scanning papers. In 2006, the NEH launched a big initiative in the United States. By 2009, it became "big news" at a large meeting in Philadelphia.

Digital humanities connects to things you might see every day. You might use the internet to look up a fact. That is part of how we share knowledge now. Many projects use "open access." This means anyone with the internet can read them for free. You might also see digital maps or even video games. Some scholars even study how people use hashtags on social media. It is a way to use the tools we already have to learn more about ourselves.

Digital Humanities on Twitter
Digital Humanities on Twitter
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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Pride and Prejudice in Voyant Tools.png
Pride and Prejudice in Voyant Tools.png
File:Digital Humanities Stack (from Berry and Fagerjord 2017- 18).jpg
Digital Humanities Stack (from Berry and...
File:Tripletsnew2012.png
Tripletsnew2012.png
File:Humanités Numériques.JPG
Humanités Numériques.JPG
File:Digital Humanities on Twitter.png
Digital Humanities on Twitter.png
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