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Digital history is an emerging field that draws on digital technology and computational methods. A global enterprise that invites scholars worldwide to join forces, it presents exciting and novel ways we might explore, understand and represent the past.
Hannu Salmi provides the most compelling introduction to digital history to date. Beginning with an examination of the origins of the digital study of history, he goes on to discuss the question of how history exists in a digitized form. He introduces basic concepts and ideas in digital history, including databases and archives, interdisciplinarity and public engagement. Outlining the problems and methods in the study of big data, both textual and visual, particular attention is paid to the born-digital era: the contemporary age that exists primarily in digital form. What is Digital History? is essential reading for students of history and other humanities fields, as well as anyone interested in how digitization and digital cultures are transforming the study of history.
List of contents
Introduction Notes
1 The Digital Past: Sources and Problems Digitization of cultural heritage
Biases of the digital past
Born-digital era
Virality
Toward the epistemology of the born digital
Notes
2 Reading and Textuality in Digital History Reading as a research method
Reading with machines
Distant reading
The challenge of big data
Texts for historical research
Distant reading techniques
Notes
3 Mapping and Viewing History Maps as digital sources
Maps as historical interpretations
From visual evidence to distant viewing
Sound and vision
Visuality, textuality and metadata
Notes
4 Interdisciplinarity: Challenges for Research Beyond disciplinarity
Trading across borders
Towards interdisciplinary practices
Notes
5 Presenting the Past in the Digital Age Digital history for the public
Visualizing data
Presenting change over time
Augmented and mixed realities
Travelling in time
Notes
Conclusion
Notes
Further Reading
Index
About the author
Hannu Salmi is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Turku.
Summary
Digital history is an emerging field that draws on digital technology and computational methods. A global enterprise that invites scholars worldwide to join forces, it presents exciting and novel ways we might explore, understand and represent the past.
Hannu Salmi provides the most compelling introduction to digital history to date. Beginning with an examination of the origins of the digital study of history, he goes on to discuss the question of how history exists in a digitized form. He introduces basic concepts and ideas in digital history, including databases and archives, interdisciplinarity and public engagement. Outlining the problems and methods in the study of big data, both textual and visual, particular attention is paid to the born-digital era: the contemporary age that exists primarily in digital form. What is Digital History? is essential reading for students of history and other humanities fields, as well as anyone interested in how digitization and digital cultures are transforming the study of history.
Report
'We are all "digital historians" now, and by interrogating the origins and content of this emerging discipline, Hannu Salmi charts an intellectual landscape we must all navigate. What is Digital History? provides a sure guide and a welcome companion.'
Tim Hitchcock, Director of the Sussex Humanities Lab
'I learned a great deal from this book. I appreciate its international coverage, and especially the range of examples described. It will be especially useful for introductory history courses where faculty seek to familiarize students with the breadth of online archives, and the scholarship that has been generated from them.'
Jo Guldi, Southern Methodist University
