1st French National Conference on Digital Humanities
Summary
The 1st National Convention on Digital Humanities represents an unprecedented scientific event in France. Its primary goal is to gather research and practices in the field of digital humanities, at both disciplinary and interdisciplinary levels. This events is the result of the joint efforts between the Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III, and Campus Tech signatories of the first French National Convention on Digital Humanities. The Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III is known for its ambitiousNexus project, making of it a leading actor of digital humanities in France. On the other hand, Campus Tech is the first higher education institution in France that grants degrees focused on digital humanities, hosting its research efforts in this field under its unique research chair Numerina. Accepted papers must be focused on digital humanities and may adopt different interdisciplinary research and empirical perspectives. In order to foster international links between research traditions from different territories, submissions may also be written in English. This call is opened to both researchers and professionals accepting papers and proposals in different development stages and forms. The aim of this conference is to investigate links between digital studies and the French take on digital humanities, to define how digital humanities are operated on the French territory, and to imagine the prospective evolutions of this transdisciplinary field.
Project
The aim of this conference is to foster interactions between scholars and professionals that are working on the field of digital humanities. This event should allow for diverse actors to dialogue, experience and learn from a multiple viewpoints under interdisciplinary perspectives. This is because there is a need to make of the study of digital humanities a transversal perspective that puts society back at the center of the consequences and evolutions of digital progress, considering digital adoption lead not only on technology and engineering, but also on media, acculturation, transition and socio-cultural habits. Therefore, in the scope of this event, digital humanities are not considered an exclusive research field only opened to certain disciplines or major research areas, such as information and communication sciences, linguistics, or history but as a rich opportunity to produce research in unexpected or non-traditional fields.
In terms of definitions, we find the concept of digital humanities to be explored as a positive crossroad between digital humanities in the northern-european tradition (thus rooted in the works of scholars at King’s College London, the University of Helsinki, Berlin’s Humboldt-Universität or the University of Amsterdam, for instance) and the more modern ‘humanités numérique’ French view of the term. Our wish is not to separate, divide or question digital humanities as small parts of larger disciplinary territories, but to open up and stimulate potentialities and evolutions linked to digital humanities. Moreover, the 1st French National Conference on Digital Humanities will foster interdiciplinary and even transdisciplinary dialogue, in order to re-invent the foundations of traditional humanities and for putting back society at the analysis of this contemporary subject.
Digital humanities rely on various domains and research fields; thus, scientific dialogue as well as epistemological and pragmatic open-mindedness cannot be overlooked. Authors will be able to submit papers linked to the following topics-and more:
- Discourse, language, semiotics, communication, media, social networks;
- Devices, technical creations, engineering, circulation of information, smart cities, ergonomic design;
- Transmission, teaching, education, andragogy, acculturation and use;
- Culture, arts, graphic design, audio-visual creation, tourism, experience design;
- Marketing, business, management, trade, finances;
- Politics, law, democracy, public policy;
- Social sciences, psychology, sociology, health, care, social security;
- Ecology, sustainability, circular economy, blue economy.
This international conference addresses questions rooted in clear methodological and theoretical goals:
- Building a national and international cartography of both scientific and professional practices regarding digital humanities, especially in terms of applied and fundamental research linked to the professional world;
- Stimulating disciplinary and interdisciplinary interactions and encouraging the constitution of a strong research and teaching network in France, in order to highlight works and studies at national level and to foster educational and epistemological exchanges;
- Encouraging the constitution of a national network that will be able to create a label or certification in digital humanities: this will act as an incentive for the structuring of this interdisciplinary field, its national recognition and the strengthening of fruitful dialogue with the professional world.
Submitted papers will be published in special issues or collective volumes, based on their quality and the possibilities of publication. Moreover, the constitution of this 1st French National Conference on Digital Humanities will lead to the writing and publishing of a white book, which will be available online for free. The aim of this conference is to investigate links between digital studies and the French take on digital humanities, to define how digital humanities are operated on the French territory, and to imagine the prospective evolutions of this transdisciplinary field.
Submissions
Papers submitted for this conference will have to address a research question in a coherent manner: the research question itself and its relevance regarding digital humanities, analyzed data and/or corpora, as well as methodological and epistemological references. Case studies are not excluded a priori, yet authors will need to clearly show how these studies are linked to theory and general issues. Professional innovation and experimentation are also welcome.
Submissions comprise: the title of the paper, five keywords, a summary of 800 words and a list of bibliographic references. The identity and affiliation of authors will not appear in the document, yet will be highlighted in the e-mail sent to the organizing committee.
Papers may be submitted in french or english.