chapter 1

炸鱼饼

Reading Time:
About 60 minutes
Reading Task:
Understand the basic definition, historical origin, and current position of digital humanities in contemporary academia, and analyze the author's views on the relationship between digital humanities and the traditional humanities.
Summary of the Content:
The opening chapter of this book directly poses the core question "What is Digital Humanities?" and points out that Digital Humanities is a multi-faceted and still evolving concept. The author, from the perspective of a humanities scholar, emphasizes that Digital Humanities is not only the application of technology, but also an expansion and reconfiguration of humanities research methods.
This chapter reviews the origin of Digital Humanities, mentioning the project in 1949 where Roberto Busa collaborated with IBM to index Thomas Aquinas' works, marking the first combination of computer technology and the humanities. The author also compares two typical definitions of Digital Humanities: one is the more technical definition on Wikipedia, emphasizing the intersection of computing tools and the humanities; the other is the definition by Burdick et al., which pays more attention to the philosophical level of human existence and knowledge construction in the digital age.
The author further explores whether Digital Humanities has changed the essence of humanities research, and questions whether digital tools merely enhance efficiency or fundamentally reshape the questioning methods and research paths of humanities research. Finally, this chapter reviews the historical development of humanism, from Petrarch to the "humanists" of the Renaissance period, how they reshaped the knowledge system through language, rhetoric, and classical studies, and points out that Digital Humanities may be continuing this tradition, continuing the mission of humanism in new media forms.
Case Analysis:
Roberto Busa's collaboration with IBM: demonstrated the early application of computers in text processing, not only "search and statistics", but also for "interpretation of doctrines", reflecting the potential of digital tools in deepening humanistic understanding.
The definition comparison between Wikipedia and Burdick: reflects the tension within digital humanities - one side emphasizes tools and methods, while the other side emphasizes the transformation of ideas and culture.
Petrarch and the rise of humanism: illustrates that humanistic research has always been closely linked to technology (such as manuscripts, printing technology), and digital humanities is the contemporary continuation of this tradition.
Reflection:
This chapter made me deeply realize that digital humanities is not simply "using computers to study humanities", but rather a profound transformation in the methodology and epistemology of humanities research. The author emphasizes that digital humanities should return to the roots of humanism - understanding human experience through language, texts, and history - which particularly inspired me.
At the same time, I also noticed that digital humanities still faces many challenges in practice, such as technical barriers, academic recognition, and conflicts with traditional humanities research methods. How to embrace digital tools while not losing the depth and criticality of humanities research is a question that every digital humanities practitioner needs to consider.
Finally, the author's question "Is digital humanities redundant?" also resonated with me: In today's world where digital technology has permeated every aspect of research, digital humanities may not be regarded as an independent field, but should become a natural part of humanities research.