chapter 4 and 5

荣华富贵

    Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the core elements and tools of digital humanities, providing a key framework for understanding digital humanities practice. Chapter 4 breaks down the elements of digital humanities into multiple dimensions, including texts, documents, objects, and images, breaking the traditional reliance of humanities research on written language alone. Taking ancient book digitization projects as examples, the chapter illustrates that the digitization of texts and documents is not merely content migration, but rather endowing texts with a "digital life" that is searchable and analyzable through techniques such as annotation and word segmentation. The inclusion of elements like images and sounds also allows fields such as art history and musicology to conduct new research using methods like pixel analysis and sound wave comparison. For instance, image recognition technology can be used to compare the color usage patterns of paintings from different periods, expanding the methodological boundaries of humanities research.
    The introduction to digital tools in Chapter 5 is both practical and reflective. Instead of simply listing tools, the authors categorize and explain them according to the process of "data collection - analysis - presentation," such as using OCR tools for text extraction and GIS technology for spatial data visualization. At the same time, the chapter points out that tool selection must match research objectives, avoiding the trap of "technology first." For example, simple text analysis does not require overly complex algorithms, while sophisticated image comparison demands professional tool support. This emphasis on the relationship between tools and research logic reminds readers that digital tools are a "means" rather than an "end" to serve humanities research, laying an important cognitive foundation for subsequent practice.