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Building theories or theories of building? A tension at the heart of digital humanities

Warwick, C.

Authors



Contributors

S. Schreibman
Editor

R. Siemens
Editor

J. Unsworth
Editor

Abstract

This chapter discusses the perceived opposition in digital humanities scholarship between making and theorizing, often encapsulated by the phrase “more hack less yack.” Proponents of technically driven digital humanities insist that we must be builders, and that digital humanities students must learn to program, code, and create digital resources. Those more interested in theory, most notoriously Stanley Fish, object that digital humanities is crudely positivist, under‐theorized, and insufficiently self‐critical, and does not address questions for example of representation of race, gender, and sexuality, nor engage with cultural criticism. This chapter examines details of the debate and discusses whether the two sides can, or should, be reconciled. It examines earlier discussions about theory and method in English studies and history, as they grew into mature disciplines, and asks what digital humanities can learn from the development of these two fields, as it seeks to shape its own future.

Citation

Warwick, C. (2016). Building theories or theories of building? A tension at the heart of digital humanities. In S. Schreibman, R. Siemens, & J. Unsworth (Eds.), A New Companion to Digital Humanities (538-552). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118680605.ch37

Online Publication Date Nov 27, 2015
Publication Date 2016
Deposit Date Oct 27, 2017
Publisher Wiley
Pages 538-552
Book Title A New Companion to Digital Humanities
Chapter Number 37
ISBN 9781118680599
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118680605.ch37
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1666385
Contract Date Jan 1, 2015