Under the hood of digital humanities: toys or opportunities?

Abstract

The use of computing tools and methods has irreversibly impacted the creation, use and communication of research. As a result, a still divisive movement of Digital Humanities has emerged over the last few decades. This paper attempts to provide a theoretical contribution to the discussion on the ontology of this field. In order to do so, it takes a sample of papers indexed under Library and Information Science, in the Web of Knowledge database, and studies them using a quantitative data analysis and a qualitative literature review paired with a personal reflection to illustrate the main research topics. It is concluded that digital humanities embody a community patterned by collaborative and shared networks of communication, where computing tools amplify research possibilities, without changing the humanist values of its practitioners.