University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

No signal without symbol: decoding the digital humanities

chapter
posted on 2023-06-09, 00:11 authored by David BerryDavid Berry, M. Beatrice FaziM. Beatrice Fazi, Ben Roberts, Alban WebbAlban Webb
This chapter outlines signal processing as the paradigmatic model of knowledge production in the digital humanities. Drawing from information theory, and from Wolfgang Ernst’s understanding of signal as “the physical layer below symbolically expressed culture”, we adopt the idea of signal processing as a way of thinking about the encoding and quantifiable analysis of culture often undertaken in DH. Like others, we see dangers in a vision of the digital humanities as signal processing. We argue that the lens of information theory can help us to assess and develop critical work in the digital humanities and, therefore, make a meaningful contribution to digital public culture. In common with Alan Liu and Alexander Galloway, we worry that DH might tacitly conform to what Antoinette Rouvroy calls “the ideology of big data”, that is, the idea that signal (data) and signal processing (data analysis) can be substituted for symbolic interpretation and fully account for knowledge production. Our contention is that symbol and signal need instead to be thought together, and that to do so should change the way in which we think the importance of method and theory in the digital humanities.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Publisher

University of Minnesota Press

Page range

61-74

Pages

472.0

Book title

Debates in the Digital Humanities 2019

Place of publication

Minnesota

ISBN

9781517906931

Department affiliated with

  • Media and Film Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Sussex Humanities Lab Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Editors

Lauren F Klein, Matthew K Gold

Legacy Posted Date

2016-02-01

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC