DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2023.4.69431

Abstract: The article presents the observations of a live participant of the “Digital Humanities -2023”, held in Graz, Austria in the summer of 2023. The “Digital Humanities” Congress is held annually by the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO). Digital Humanities (DH) are at the intersection of computing or digital technologies and the disciplines of the humanities. It involves the development and use of digital resources and methods in the humanities, as well as the analysis of their application. DH scholarship means collaborative, transdisciplinary, and computationally engaged research, teaching, and publishing. The annual ADHO Conference on Digital Humanities is the central and largest event of the international Digital Humanities community and brings together scholars from around the world, providing them with a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and research results, and to promote future collaboration. Particular attention is paid to historical issues presented at the congress, both in workshops and at section meetings and poster presentations. Statistical observations are presented, and a frequency analysis of the occurrence of keywords is carried out. The main conclusion of the study is the observed trend towards an increase in historical reports, posters and workshops. A noticeable increase in interest in historical sources, historical databases and geographic information systems, and virtual reconstruction of the past using a wide range of digital humanities research tools is noticeable (in comparison with the programs and publications of past Digital Humanities congresses). The 2023 conference theme, “Collaboration as an Opportunity,” is about the transdisciplinary and transnational collaboration, showing how increased cross-national collaboration—across continents and geopolitical locations—can transform regional knowledge hubs into international networks of excellence in research for the benefit of the global digital humanities community. Historians have firmly taken their place in contemporary digital humanities research.

DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2022.1.37818

Abstract: This article describes the continuation of the initiative of the editorial board of the journal "Historical Informatics" – a discussion club in which researchers can make reviews of current publications related to the field of interests of historical informatics. The article considers the "main character" of the next online meeting of the discussion club - the collective monograph "Information. Historical Companion" ("Information. A Historical Companion”). Recently, there has been an obvious interest in the interpretation of the concept of "information" in historiography, including in the historical context. Various dictionaries, anthologies and monographs on the "history of information" are becoming frequent novelties of leading international publishers.   The authors of the book "Information. Historical Companion" call their work the first in which such issues are considered comprehensively and in detail, with an attempt to trace global changes in information practices and technologies, although such an optimistic author's self-assessment can be doubted. The main structural elements of the collective monograph-dictionary are considered. The approach chosen by the authors is analyzed in the context of current historiography and various, sometimes competing definitions of the concept of information. L.I.Borodkin, I.M.Garskova, Yu.Yu.Yumasheva, D.S.Voronkova took part in the discussion club meeting, A.Y.Volodin moderated the discussion.

DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2021.1.35309

Abstract: This article reports about the new initiative of the Historical Information Science Journal editorial board aimed at creating a discussion club to review topical monographs. The journal today covers many fields of history digitization such as historical information science, digital history, digital humanities. The first discussion of the club addresses the book by the Finnish Science Academy professor Hannu Salmi titled “What is Digital History?” (Medford: PolityPress, 2020). The first club meeting was attended by L.I. Borodkin, V.N. Vladimirov, I.M. Garskova, N.G. Povroznik and moderated by A.Yu. Volodin. The article briefly characterizes the series the reviewed book is a part of. Those are “What is history?” series by Polity publishing house. The author describes the monograph structure in general and analyzes new historiographic examples provided by H. Salmi which relate to digital history discussions and issues which are characterized by numerous approaches, opinions and projects. Considering the writer’s definition of digital history as a “mobile layer of historical research with multiple approaches, projects, publications, services and sources” the author concludes that this field can hardly be precisely defined nowadays. This is true of the experimental character of the majority of projects within this sphere.

DOI: 10.7256/2585-7797.2019.3.30992

Abstract: The article discusses effects of the “digital turn” in history, changes in the historical information science agenda, ratio of historical information science and digital history research fields in the context of rapidly developing digital humanities as well. The author also studies the impact of the “digital turn” on the structure of historical knowledge and its relation to research practice, summarizes discussions about benchmarks of technological influence on historical research and defines digital platform as an infrastructure solution combining analytical and resource components of historical research. On the basis of historiographical observations and consideration of the latest historical digital projects the author traces important changes in the field of historical knowledge. An attempt is made to find possible epistemological consequences of the “digital turn” in historical research, its impact on historical heuristics, criticism and interpretation. The article answers the questions of the editorial board of “Istoricheskaya Informatika” journal about the key trends, changes and experiences of the research community using information technology in historical studies. The author considers methodological understanding of the “digital turn” and by means of a labyrinth metaphor predicts further steps of a researcher to new evidence-based knowledge when he is armed with historical information science achievements.