Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, 2023
Quantitative measurements of similarity can help researchers understand the increasing amount of ... more Quantitative measurements of similarity can help researchers understand the increasing amount of manuscript metadata or digital images now available for study. Researchers in archaeology, ecology, and information retrieval have developed diverse methods for quantifying the similarity of categorical, numerical, and presence/absence data. The variety of methods in use reflects the complex associations of the term "similarity" and suggests that quantitative approaches can preserve some of the nuance associated with traditional humanistic approaches. We argue that similarity metrics, contextualized against random simulations, provide flexible tools for identifying and analyzing trends in large sets of multifaceted historical data and can be applied to many kinds of manuscript research projects. Simulations (permutation tests) that highlight how observed patterns diverge from random or theoretical scenarios have allowed us to interpret similarity measurements against a baseline that is analogous to researchers' intuitions born of experience. In this paper, we model using similarity metrics to conduct multifaceted analyses of an iconographic dataset derived from Lilian M. C. Randall's Images in the Margins of Gothic Manuscripts (1966), indexing images in French, English, and Flemish manuscripts produced between about 1250 and 1350. We share examples of approaches such as statistical analysis, Analysis of Similarity, and clustering to model the type of quantitative approaches we believe will become increasingly important for the analysis of digital manuscript data.
The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, meth... more The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, methods, and tools in the history of art and architecture. While digital art history is less developed than text-based disciplines, the emergence of new digital standards for visual and spatial data, and ad- vances in computer vision are poised to revolutionize the field. This article provides a survey of recent developments in digital art history from the perspective of European and North American publications and conferences. I discuss the digitization of visual, spatial, and textual resources by muse- ums, research centers, and individual researchers. Research- ers have developed a variety of tools for digitally analyzing art and architecture, which can replicate or challenge tra- ditional methods of formal, iconographic, and socio-histor- ical analysis. Trends in published research indicate uneven growth in the theoretical sophistication of digital art history scholarship. While digital methods are quickly moving into the training of art history professionals and students, digi- tal art history communities in museums, research institutes, and universities remain somewhat fragmented. I conclude with a reflection on critiques of digital art history, several of which have not been fully addressed in recent scholarship.
The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, meth... more The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, methods, and tools in the history of art and architecture. While digital art history is less developed than text-based disciplines, the emergence of new digital standards for visual and spatial data, and ad- vances in computer vision are poised to revolutionize the field. This article provides a survey of recent developments in digital art history from the perspective of European and North American publications and conferences. I discuss the digitization of visual, spatial, and textual resources by muse- ums, research centers, and individual researchers. Research- ers have developed a variety of tools for digitally analyzing art and architecture, which can replicate or challenge tra- ditional methods of formal, iconographic, and socio-histor- ical analysis. Trends in published research indicate uneven growth in the theoretical sophistication of digital art history scholarship. While digital methods are quickly moving into the training of art history professionals and students, digi- tal art history communities in museums, research institutes, and universities remain somewhat fragmented. I conclude with a reflection on critiques of digital art history, several of which have not been fully addressed in recent scholarship.
Over the past few decades, humanistic inquiry has been problematized and invigorated by the emerg... more Over the past few decades, humanistic inquiry has been problematized and invigorated by the emergence of what is referred to as the digital humanities. Across multiple disciplines, from history to literature, religious studies to philosophy, archaeology to music, scholars are tapping the extraordinary power of digital technologies to preserve, curate, analyze, visualize, and reconstruct their research objects.
The study of the Middle East and the broader Islamic world has been no less impacted by this new paradigm. Scholars are making daily use of digital tools and repositories including private and state-sponsored archives of textual sources, digitized manuscript collections, densitometrical imaging, visualization and modeling software, and various forms of data mining and analysis. This collection of essays explores the state of the art in digital scholarship pertaining to Islamic & Middle Eastern studies, addressing areas such as digitization, visualization, text mining, databases, mapping, and e-publication. It is of relevance to any researcher interested in the opportunities and challenges engendered by this changing scholarly ecosystem.
Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, 2023
Quantitative measurements of similarity can help researchers understand the increasing amount of ... more Quantitative measurements of similarity can help researchers understand the increasing amount of manuscript metadata or digital images now available for study. Researchers in archaeology, ecology, and information retrieval have developed diverse methods for quantifying the similarity of categorical, numerical, and presence/absence data. The variety of methods in use reflects the complex associations of the term "similarity" and suggests that quantitative approaches can preserve some of the nuance associated with traditional humanistic approaches. We argue that similarity metrics, contextualized against random simulations, provide flexible tools for identifying and analyzing trends in large sets of multifaceted historical data and can be applied to many kinds of manuscript research projects. Simulations (permutation tests) that highlight how observed patterns diverge from random or theoretical scenarios have allowed us to interpret similarity measurements against a baseline that is analogous to researchers' intuitions born of experience. In this paper, we model using similarity metrics to conduct multifaceted analyses of an iconographic dataset derived from Lilian M. C. Randall's Images in the Margins of Gothic Manuscripts (1966), indexing images in French, English, and Flemish manuscripts produced between about 1250 and 1350. We share examples of approaches such as statistical analysis, Analysis of Similarity, and clustering to model the type of quantitative approaches we believe will become increasingly important for the analysis of digital manuscript data.
The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, meth... more The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, methods, and tools in the history of art and architecture. While digital art history is less developed than text-based disciplines, the emergence of new digital standards for visual and spatial data, and ad- vances in computer vision are poised to revolutionize the field. This article provides a survey of recent developments in digital art history from the perspective of European and North American publications and conferences. I discuss the digitization of visual, spatial, and textual resources by muse- ums, research centers, and individual researchers. Research- ers have developed a variety of tools for digitally analyzing art and architecture, which can replicate or challenge tra- ditional methods of formal, iconographic, and socio-histor- ical analysis. Trends in published research indicate uneven growth in the theoretical sophistication of digital art history scholarship. While digital methods are quickly moving into the training of art history professionals and students, digi- tal art history communities in museums, research institutes, and universities remain somewhat fragmented. I conclude with a reflection on critiques of digital art history, several of which have not been fully addressed in recent scholarship.
The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, meth... more The past decade has seen tremendous growth and innova- tion in the use of digital resources, methods, and tools in the history of art and architecture. While digital art history is less developed than text-based disciplines, the emergence of new digital standards for visual and spatial data, and ad- vances in computer vision are poised to revolutionize the field. This article provides a survey of recent developments in digital art history from the perspective of European and North American publications and conferences. I discuss the digitization of visual, spatial, and textual resources by muse- ums, research centers, and individual researchers. Research- ers have developed a variety of tools for digitally analyzing art and architecture, which can replicate or challenge tra- ditional methods of formal, iconographic, and socio-histor- ical analysis. Trends in published research indicate uneven growth in the theoretical sophistication of digital art history scholarship. While digital methods are quickly moving into the training of art history professionals and students, digi- tal art history communities in museums, research institutes, and universities remain somewhat fragmented. I conclude with a reflection on critiques of digital art history, several of which have not been fully addressed in recent scholarship.
Over the past few decades, humanistic inquiry has been problematized and invigorated by the emerg... more Over the past few decades, humanistic inquiry has been problematized and invigorated by the emergence of what is referred to as the digital humanities. Across multiple disciplines, from history to literature, religious studies to philosophy, archaeology to music, scholars are tapping the extraordinary power of digital technologies to preserve, curate, analyze, visualize, and reconstruct their research objects.
The study of the Middle East and the broader Islamic world has been no less impacted by this new paradigm. Scholars are making daily use of digital tools and repositories including private and state-sponsored archives of textual sources, digitized manuscript collections, densitometrical imaging, visualization and modeling software, and various forms of data mining and analysis. This collection of essays explores the state of the art in digital scholarship pertaining to Islamic & Middle Eastern studies, addressing areas such as digitization, visualization, text mining, databases, mapping, and e-publication. It is of relevance to any researcher interested in the opportunities and challenges engendered by this changing scholarly ecosystem.
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The study of the Middle East and the broader Islamic world has been no less impacted by this new paradigm. Scholars are making daily use of digital tools and repositories including private and state-sponsored archives of textual sources, digitized manuscript collections, densitometrical imaging, visualization and modeling software, and various forms of data mining and analysis. This collection of essays explores the state of the art in digital scholarship pertaining to Islamic & Middle Eastern studies, addressing areas such as digitization, visualization, text mining, databases, mapping, and e-publication. It is of relevance to any researcher interested in the opportunities and challenges engendered by this changing scholarly ecosystem.
The study of the Middle East and the broader Islamic world has been no less impacted by this new paradigm. Scholars are making daily use of digital tools and repositories including private and state-sponsored archives of textual sources, digitized manuscript collections, densitometrical imaging, visualization and modeling software, and various forms of data mining and analysis. This collection of essays explores the state of the art in digital scholarship pertaining to Islamic & Middle Eastern studies, addressing areas such as digitization, visualization, text mining, databases, mapping, and e-publication. It is of relevance to any researcher interested in the opportunities and challenges engendered by this changing scholarly ecosystem.