The IEEE Workshop on Visualization for the Digital Humanities, VIS4DH, seeks papers and provocations addressing scale in humanities data for its workshop to be held virtually this fall. From the call:
Visualization is often celebrated as a method to facilitate the exploration and interpretation of “big data”. But is scale a relevant yardstick to measure and characterize the challenges connected to humanities research questions? Scholars have warned about the development and focus on large-scale digital infrastructures within the humanities (Van Zundert, 2012), suggesting that smaller datasets and lighter infrastructures could better support the needs of humanist researchers. Additionally, critical voices have pointed out the risk of reproducing assumptions about dominant cultures and groups while further marginalizing those who are less likely to be remembered. Data humanism has been proposed to highlight the creative potential of “small data” in terms of personal impact (Lupi, 2017). Choices of scale – in terms of data, tools, or teams – influence not only project outcomes but also research methods and processes. This year, we invite work to reflect on such choices, and to discuss related epistemological and research-political questions.
Submissions are due by 23 July 2021. This year’s VIS4DH workshop will be held entirely virtually, as a consequence of current COVID-19 travel restrictions.