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  • © 2016

Computation and the Humanities

Towards an Oral History of Digital Humanities

  • Presents a number of oral interviews and the key themes that emerge on the history of computing in Humanities and Cultural Heritage
  • Provides an analysis of some of the social, intellectual and creative processes that have helped shape the research into computing in the humanities
  • The book is accompanied by a website with additional and supplementary material such as archival photographs and sound recordings of oral history interviews

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Cultural Computing (SSCC)

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Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 1-19Open Access
  3. Why Oral History?

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 21-36Open Access
  4. hic Rhodus, hic salta: Tito Orlandi and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 75-86Open Access
  5. They Took a Chance: Susan Hockey and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 87-97Open Access
  6. The Influence of Algorithmic Thinking: Judy Malloy and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 99-121Open Access
  7. There Had to Be a Better Way: John Nitti and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 137-156Open Access
  8. It’s a Little Mind-Boggling: Helen Agüera and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 157-166Open Access
  9. I Heard About the Arrival of the Computer: Hans Rutimann and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 167-175Open Access
  10. Getting Computers into Humanists’ Thinking: John Bradley and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 209-226Open Access
  11. So, Into the Chopper It Went: Gabriel Egan and Julianne Nyhan

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 237-256Open Access
  12. Revolutionaries and Underdogs

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 257-275Open Access
  13. Conclusion

    • Julianne Nyhan, Andrew Flinn
    Pages 277-279Open Access
  14. Back Matter

    Pages 281-285

About this book

This book addresses the application of computing to cultural heritage and the discipline of Digital Humanities that formed around it. Digital Humanities research is transforming how the Human record can be transmitted, shaped, understood, questioned and imagined and it has been ongoing for more than 70 years. However, we have no comprehensive histories of its research trajectory or its disciplinary development. The authors make a first contribution towards remedying this by uncovering, documenting, and analysing a number of the social, intellectual and creative processes that helped to shape this research from the 1950s until the present day.

By taking an oral history approach, this book explores questions like, among others, researchers’ earliest memories of encountering computers and the factors that subsequently prompted them to use the computer in Humanities research.

Computation and the Humanities will be an essential read for cultural and computing historians, digital humanists and those interested in developments like the digitisation of cultural heritage and artefacts.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license

Reviews

“This is a well-worked collection of interviews that leads the reader through the development of the field of DH. … Computation and the humanities is a unique portrayal of the history of DH, and is recommended as an authoritative source--to be dipped into as your interests dictate, or to study more thoroughly to better understand how DH has developed. Those in computing who are interested in cross-disciplinary research around the humanities can use this volume … .” (Computing Reviews, September, 2017) 

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Information Studies, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom

    Julianne Nyhan

  • Department of Information Studies, University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Andrew Flinn

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access