The International Conference of Digital Archives and Digital Humanities (DADH) was founded in 2009 by the Research Center for Digital Humanities at National Taiwan University. As one of the earliest and most prominent international academic conferences in the field of digital humanities in Asia, it has been held continuously for fifteen editions to date. The conference provides an important forum for dialogue and exchange among international digital humanities scholars, and has played a significant role in fostering research collaboration. As technology continues to evolve, the research methods and tools used in the humanities and social sciences have undergone unprecedented transformation. Technologies and tools such as generative AI, text mining, digital narrative, and information visualization are becoming indispensable aids for humanities researchers in exploring and gaining insight into history, culture, and social context. The rise of digital humanities enables researchers to employ information and digital technologies to analyze vast and complex datasets, uncovering phenomena and research questions that traditional methods cannot easily reach — its innovative and practical character has made digital humanities an essential component of contemporary academic research.
As digital humanities research develops rapidly worldwide, scholarly attention to this field in Taiwan has also grown considerably. Many scholars and research units have invested actively in this area, producing rich results, and Taiwan's digital humanities research enjoys a strong international reputation. DADH not only brings together experts and scholars from both the humanities and information technology fields, but also provides an invaluable platform for interdisciplinary research exchange. Each conference has attracted researchers from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, mainland China, and beyond, actively building international academic networks and communities. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, DADH overcame challenges to hold its 11th and 12th editions in online format, demonstrating remarkable academic resilience and sustained international influence.
At the same time, the growth of Taiwan's digital humanities research community and the gradual acceptance of digital humanities methodologies within academia have enabled the conference to expand in scale. In 2016, the Taiwan Association for Digital Humanities (TADH) was established, further promoting academic exchange and community collaboration in the field. Since 2017, DADH has adopted a rotating host model among different academic institutions, reflecting diverse forms of scholarly participation and cooperation. Over the years, institutions including the Research Center for Digital Humanities at National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, the Digital Culture Center at Academia Sinica, the College of Liberal Arts at National Changhua University of Education, the College of Liberal Arts at National Chung Hsing University, the College of Liberal Arts at National Cheng Kung University, and the College of Liberal Arts at National Taiwan Normal University have all served as host institutions. Notably, from 2021 to 2023, DADH was held in central and southern Taiwan, signaling that the conference has been guiding digital humanities research across regional boundaries and promoting the field's development in different parts of Taiwan. DADH 2026 is hosted by National Sun Yat-sen University, continuing this southward direction, and carries important significance for deepening the digital humanities academic ecosystem in southern Taiwan.