aAh! Magazine
You are here: Home / News / Critical Decisions for Digital Humanities
News

Critical Decisions for Digital Humanities

22nd February 2013 By 0 158

Digital Humanities, Monday, 18th February, 6pm, Geoffrey Manton Building, MMU

Photographs by Storm Rannard
Words by Kathleen Menzies


THE latest event in the Digital Humanities series saw Dr David Berry of Swansea University deliver a lecture to academics, students and the public.

‘Critical Digital Humanities’ was the latest in a series of events brought to MMU by the Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research (IHSSR) and hosted by Dr David Berry, Associate Professor of Digital Media at the University of Swansea (pictured). Open to the public, the audience also included students and academics from MMU.
“If you haven’t heard of Digital Humanities, you’ve done well – it’s created quite a buzz on the internet and at seminars,” Berry told the audience. “It could well be the case that this is the year for Digital Humanities, especially in the UK – there’s been a lot of interest surrounding it.”
Although positive about the future of Digital Humanities, Berry took a critical approach during his lecture, raising a number of issues and problems surrounding the cross-disciplinary subject as both an academic discipline and as a brand.
Berry stated that the nature of code and software can often be overlooked by advocates of Digital Humanities. Lost within computational formalisms, Berry feared academics could lose sight of the true interactive purposes of merging humanities and digital technology.
The take-home message of the evening was that the Digital Humanities must accommodate all aspects of traditional humanities including social science, politics and the economic and cultural. Some humanities researchers have already done this, as Berry made clear, but he urged all scholars to not forget the core concern of the field – the human subject – as they adapted into computational methods.
The next event in the IHSSR series is a talk by Professor Joanna Hodge on the right to philosophy, and the philosophy of right. This takes place on Monday 25th February 2013.

About the author / 

aAh!

aAh! Magazine is Manchester Metropolitan University's arts and culture magazine.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More News Stories:

  • 12th February 2026

    Society Spotlight: Fashion Society – the creatives redefining Manchester’s fashion scene

    Featured image: Molly Goble and Anna Comerford aAh! Magazine fashion editor Imogen Burgess meets the Manchester fashion creatives rewriting the rules of the industry. Fashion has long been defined by its connection to exclusivity and elitism – an industry where “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” rings true. This phrase, also a…

  • 12th February 2026

    Opinion: “There’s no replacement for third spaces”

    Featured image: Ciara Reynolds and Charle Mooney Every Tuesday, 91-year-old Joan walks from her flat to Turncroft Lane in Stockport to set up for the weekly ballroom dancing. Joan, a dedicated member of Woodbank Community Centre, has been attending ballroom classes for more than 20 years – and she has no plans to slow down anytime…

  • 12th February 2026

    5 places to live in Greater Manchester after you graduate

    Featured image: Aigerim Zhumabay Life comes at you fast once you leave uni. One of the biggest decisions you’ll make post-degree is where to set up home. If you plan on staying in Manchester, there’s so much more to the city’s suburbs than Chorlton or the familiar sights around the Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road corridor. Greater…

  • 12th February 2026

    Beginner’s Guide to Sam Fender: 6 songs to turn you into a true fan

    Featured image: Georgina Hurdsfield Sam Fender has become impossible to ignore in the past year, from being crowned the Mercury Prize winner to releasing his best-selling album, selling out stadiums, and receiving four Brit Award nominations. The Geordie’s indie-pop anthems and addictive, rock-influenced tunes provide something for the masses to sing their hearts out to. If…

Latest Articles