Digital Humanities as Methodological Commons

Waseda University

Nagasaki Kiyonori (Senior Fellow, International Institute for Digital Humanities)

Digital Humanities serves as a platform where various fields within the humanities, each with differing methodologies, come together for discussions, collaboration, and co-creation. Even within relatively traditional disciplines like literature, philosophy, and history, the differences in methodologies are evident and reaching consensus can be challenging. The Digital Humanities community introduces the concept of “Methodological Commons,” focusing on the commonalities that arise when digital technology is employed as a medium, even when methodologies differ. This approach creates spaces for collaboration. These spaces extend beyond just academic papers and conference presentations, encompassing the gradual accumulation of knowledge through various media such as social media and blogs. By establishing a common ground for discussion, the differences in methodologies across various fields become a source of mutual inspiration, ultimately leading to the potential revitalization of methodologies within the realm of humanities.