Early Modern Digital Itineraries, or EmDigIt, is looking for participants to attend 3 virtual workshops and 1 in-person conference toward developing a database of traveler itinerary books published between 1500-1750 and will provide a stipend for lodging and travel for the conference, slated for August 2024 at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
Each workshop will build toward the project and tool development and will conclude with presentations on the subsequent research. From the CFP:
Workshop 1 in January/February 2024 (precise date to be determined based on participant input): Introductions. Presentation of EmDigIt dataset and survey of available tools for spatial, premodern analysis.
Workshop 2 in March/April 2024 (TBD): Project updates from PI and student research assistants. Hands-on workshop in data exploration. Discussion and formation of research collaborations.
Workshop 3 in May/June 2024 (TBD): Lightning round presentations of progress on research questions to be presented in August workshop. Feedback and discussion.
Between the first and third meetings, participants will correspond independently with Dr. Midura and the student research assistants and/or advisory board members to refine research questions and identify the data that will be most useful to them. Participants are encouraged to work collaboratively, and co-authorship of presentations will be welcomed. We will work in turn to develop the data and produce targeted data subsets to use for your queries.
Workshop 4 will take place in-person on August 5th, to coincide with the Association for Digital Humanities Organization’s annual conference hosted by GMU on August 6th-9th. Participants will present on the outcome of their research using the EmDigIt data in 90-minute panels. A final roundtable will bring all participants together for a discussion and initial formulation of a collaborative, public white paper. Further opportunities for publication may be available depending on participant interest.
Early scholars, graduate students, and researchers who’s work may go beyond early modern history are still encouraged to apply. Digital Humanities experience is not required (though considered a bonus!) to apply.
Applications for this collaborative cohort are submitted in the online form on this site through October 1, 2023.