Debates in the Digital Humanities

Encompassing new technologies, research methods, and opportunities for collaborative scholarship and open-source peer review, as well as innovative ways of sharing knowledge and teaching, the digital humanities promises to transform the liberal arts--and perhaps the university itself. Indeed, at a time when many academic institutions are facing austerity budgets, digital humanities programs have been able to hire new faculty, establish new centers and initiatives, and attract multimillion-dollar grants. Clearly the digital humanities has reached a significant moment in its brief history. But what sort of moment is it? Debates in the Digital Humanities brings together leading figures in the field to explore its theories, methods, and practices and to clarify its multiple possibilities and tensions. From defining what a digital humanist is and determining whether the field has (or needs) theoretical grounding, to discussions of coding as scholarship and trends in data-driven research, this cutting-edge volume delineates the current state of the digital humanities and envisions potential futures and challenges. At the same time, several essays aim pointed critiques at the field for its lack of attention to race, gender, class, and sexuality; the inadequate level of diversity among its practitioners; its absence of political commitment; and its preference for research over teaching. Together, the essays in Debates in the Digital Humanities--which will be published both as a printed book and later as an ongoing, open-access website--suggest that the digital humanities is uniquely positioned to contribute to the revival of the humanities and academic life. Contributors: Bryan Alexander, National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education; Rafael Alvarado, U of Virginia; Jamie "Skye" Bianco, U of Pittsburgh; Ian Bogost, Georgia Institute of Technology; Stephen Brier, CUNY Graduate Center; Daniel J. Cohen, George Mason U; Cathy N. Davidson, Duke U; Rebecc.

Machine generated contents note: ContentsIntroduction: The Digital Humanities Moment -- Matthew K. Gold Part I. Defining the Digital Humanities -- 1. What Is Digital Humanities and What's It Doing in English Departments? -- Matthew Kirschenbaum -- 2. The Humanities, Done Digitally -- Kathleen Fitzpatrick -- 3. This Is Why We Fight: Defining the Values of the Digital Humanities -- Lisa Spiro -- 4. Beyond the Big Tent -- Patrik SvenssonBlog Posts -- The Digital Humanities Situation -- Rafael Alvarado -- Where's the Beef? Does Digital Humanities Have to Answer Questions? -- Tom Scheinfeldt -- Why Digital Humanities Is "Nice" -- Tom Scheinfeldt -- An Interview with Brett Bobley -- Michael Gavin and Kathleen Marie Smith -- Day of DH: Defining the Digital HumanitiesPart II. Theorizing the Digital Humanities -- 5. Developing Things: Notes toward an Epistemology of Building in the Digital Humanities -- Stephen Ramsay and Geoffrey Rockwell -- 6. Humanistic Theory and Digital Scholarship -- Johanna Drucker -- 7. This Digital Humanities which Is Not One -- Jamie "Skye" Bianco -- 8. A Telescope for the Mind? -- Willard McCartyBlog Posts -- Sunset for Ideology, Sunrise for Methodology? -- Tom …