Modelling between Digital and Humanities

Modelling between digital and humanities: Thinking in Practice (2016/17)

What are the advantages of digital modeling? What can we learn from modeling? And how does modeling change our perceptions and conceptualizations? These are the questions addressed by the project “Modeling between digital and humanities: thinking in practice.”

Towards an integrated understanding of models

In disciplines such as the life sciences, economics, psychology, and digital humanities, modeling is a central technique for deriving reliable insights from data on social phenomena obtained through observation. However, there is controversy in research about what exactly is meant by terms such as “model” and “modeling.” Against this background, the multinational consortium is examining the interdisciplinary literature on the subject of “modeling.” The goal is to achieve an integrated understanding of models across disciplinary boundaries.

Models suspected of originality

The project is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation as part of the initiative “Suspected originality? – New options for the humanities and cultural sciences / Originalitätsverdacht? – Neue Optionen für die Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften” launched in 2014. The aim of the funding initiative is to explore research ideas with knowledge-generating originality from the humanities and cultural sciences.

Project team

Arianna Ciula, University of Roehampton (UK) | ariannaciula@roehampton.ac.uk
Øyvind Eide, University of Passau and University of Cologne (DE) | oeide@uni-koeln.de
Cristina Marras, CNR-ILIESI, Rome, (IT) | cristina.marras@cnr.it
Patrick Sahle, University of Cologne (DE) |sahle@uni-koeln.de
Research Assistants: Nils Geißler (DE), Michela Tardella (IT)

Further information

project homepage