Digital Humanities in Papyrology (Vannini)

PhD dissertation 2016-2019

Student: Lucia Vannini (Institute of Classical Studies, School of Advanced Study, London)

Supervisors: Gabriel Bodard (Institute of Classical Studies), Nikolaos Gonis (UCL)

Title

Role of digital technologies in Papyrology: practices and user needs in papyrological research

Abstract

This Digital Humanities project investigates the application of digital methods to Papyrology. My aim is to understand how papyrologists gather and organise information and how digital approaches have influenced their research practices. I will analyse the impact of Web and digital resources on papyrological research, and will address this topic from the perspective of the history of Papyrology. The research questions that I will examine are the following. How do Web and digital technologies affect papyrologists’ research methods? In what ways do digital practitioners – both active (who develop innovative digital tools or approaches) and passive (whose work is improved by the digital tools produced by others) – do philological research? What are the characteristics of the generational divide between papyrologists? My research will build both on primary sources such as digital papyrological projects, and on secondary sources such as studies about digital projects, papyrologists’ work method and the history of the discipline. I will collect other data through observation, placement and interviews, which will involve watching how papyrologists work and interact with each other when they are given electronic tools, and visiting centres to experience digital research practice and conduct interviews in their work places.