Digital Methods in the Humanities

1. Why did You chose this topic?

I have been working in the field of Digital Humanities for quite some time and one of the biggest challenges was always to find projects willing to embark on the - often complicated - journey of implementing computational methods in the humanities. So I decided to make a book about the challenges, but also the ideas and perspectives that lie in wait for those who do engage with digital humanities methods. I am grateful to all contributors for letting other researchers in on their experiences.

2. What new perspectives does your book offer?

The books offers a unique insight into the everyday practices of a big cooperative project with its organizational challenges as well as the chances and opportunities such collaborations yield. Every article speaks from its own disciplinary perspective, which allows us to evaluate the impact of digital research methods in different humanities disciplines.

3. What makes your topic relevant for current research debates?

The field of Digital Humanities is evolving quickly and some see it as an emerging discipline in its own right within the humanities. Its genuinely interdisciplinary nature works against that, though, and our book shows this by highlighting the disciplinary gains through computational methods, but also pointing out the different challenges and theoretical as well as methodological critiques that come from the various research fields the authors represent.

4. Choose one person you would like to discuss your book with!

That is a difficult question. But I guess I would like to discuss it with my father who had nothing to do with academia but who believed in me and was always supportive of my endeavors big and small. This book certainly bears witness to that. Within academia, I would like to discuss this with any humanities scholar who is still reluctant about the digital turn and hear his or her reasons. I might just be able to convince them otherwise.

5. Your book summary in one sentence:

Digital Methods in the Humanities is a tour guide for the journey into Digital Humanities providing practical insights as well as warnings about the pitfalls along the way.