Watch the following TEDx Talk overviewing Digital Humanism
If it isn't clear from the videos, podcasts, and writings of Digital Humanists: defining this relatively young field of work is difficult. It can be made more difficult when we realize the field Digital Humanities isn't squarely situated inside of a single department or larger field of study!
Read this brief chapter on the Digital Humanities authored by Matthew Kirschenbaum to learn more.
Visit the website WhatIsDigitalHumanities.com and reflect on some definitions of Digital Humanities provided by hundreds of participants in the Day of DH project.
To complete this activity:
Open a Blank Document, Sheet, or pull out a piece of paper.
Copy over or record 4-5 definitions generated by WIDH that catch your attention (or the first you see) and consider the following: (1) What overlap exists between participant definitions? (2) What differences, if any, do you see between participant definitions?
Draft your own definition that you believe would be a solid contribution to this project.
Spend at least 15 minutes on this activity. Feel free to gather more than the selected definitions or return to this activity as you learn more! Consider tracking the revisions you make to this definition as you continue your DH journey.
Why is a humanist approach useful to the analysis of our digital present, and why isn't Digital Humanities research squarely situated inside departments (Communications, Information Studies, etc...) in academic spaces?
It's partially due to just how collaborative Digital Humanities work is!
Collaborative work within and outside of disciplinary bounds.
Experimentation and play to better understand digital tools.
Critical thinking and critical assessment of the digital.
Please feel free to read this brief early history of digital humanities written by Chris Alen Sula and Heather Hill in the Pratt Institute's School of Information.
Su, Zhang, and Immel's 2020 study of Digital Humanities research found that interdisciplinary collaborations were "broad and evolving over time," spanning from computer sciences to English literature.
Now that we have a clearer idea of the scope of digital humanities, start thinking about your interests and how you might pursue them in a digital capacity. Our goal will be to play with a Digital Tool and begin to think critically about these tools:
Toolkits (Multiplicity of options for play)
KnightLab Storytelling Tools (you'll see more of these tools utilized in storytelling resources and workshops)
Scalar -- Open source publishing platform for digital writing
Omeka -- An open-source digital archive platform
Collaboration and Planning
Data Visualizers & Site Builders
Note: Consider your goal! Some tools afford more opportunities for collaboration, while others are much more useful for those independent workers. Some toolkits may also be more easy to use while others are difficult to master. Feel free to play with a tool of choice and create a small sample project that can be shared with others!