How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research
This text gives two examples of how research within the history of science and ideas can make use of digital methods through a combination of close and distant reading. The first case maps all churches and prayer chapels in the Diocese of Luleå to answer the question if a Bible belt exists in Norrla...
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Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier
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ftumeauniv:oai:DiVA.org:umu-204819 2023-10-09T21:53:24+02:00 How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research Drakman, Annelie Gelfgren, Stefan 2022 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-204819 https://doi.org/10.48202/241285 eng eng Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier History of Science and Ideas, Department for Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University, Sweden Uppsala : Lärdomshistoriska Samfundet Lychnos, 0076-1648, 2022, s. 85-108 orcid:0000-0002-7845-8762 orcid:0000-0003-1873-9666 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-204819 doi:10.48202/241285 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess mixed methods digital textual analysis spatio-temporal map visualization close reading distant reading History of Ideas Idé- och lärdomshistoria Religious Studies Religionsvetenskap Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2022 ftumeauniv https://doi.org/10.48202/241285 2023-09-22T13:56:55Z This text gives two examples of how research within the history of science and ideas can make use of digital methods through a combination of close and distant reading. The first case maps all churches and prayer chapels in the Diocese of Luleå to answer the question if a Bible belt exists in Norrland; what it (if there is one) looks like, what its characteristics are, and how it has evolved over time. The spatio-temporal visualization both clarifies patterns of religious fervor and reveals “white spots”, creating questions for further research. In the second case distributional concept analysis is performed using Sketch Engine on the corpus enTenTen20, consisting of 38 billion words gathered in 2020 from the Anglophone Internet. Lists are assembled over which words are most often used together (co-locates) with creativity. Then, the research process is outlined, where use of such distant reading tools encourages returns to close readings of other materials (for instance speeches by American presidents) in an iterative process. The cases illustrate the benefits of moving between “distant” levels where digital methods show large patterns, and more specific, detailed, “close” levels, with focus on particular points of interest. We also show how this oscillation between large-scale computer aided methods, and small-scale interpretations generate new questions. Finally, we discuss our experiences of multidisciplinary approaches to digital history, and describe setbacks and unexpected wins. Article in Journal/Newspaper Luleå Luleå Luleå Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) |
op_collection_id |
ftumeauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
mixed methods digital textual analysis spatio-temporal map visualization close reading distant reading History of Ideas Idé- och lärdomshistoria Religious Studies Religionsvetenskap |
spellingShingle |
mixed methods digital textual analysis spatio-temporal map visualization close reading distant reading History of Ideas Idé- och lärdomshistoria Religious Studies Religionsvetenskap Drakman, Annelie Gelfgren, Stefan How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
topic_facet |
mixed methods digital textual analysis spatio-temporal map visualization close reading distant reading History of Ideas Idé- och lärdomshistoria Religious Studies Religionsvetenskap |
description |
This text gives two examples of how research within the history of science and ideas can make use of digital methods through a combination of close and distant reading. The first case maps all churches and prayer chapels in the Diocese of Luleå to answer the question if a Bible belt exists in Norrland; what it (if there is one) looks like, what its characteristics are, and how it has evolved over time. The spatio-temporal visualization both clarifies patterns of religious fervor and reveals “white spots”, creating questions for further research. In the second case distributional concept analysis is performed using Sketch Engine on the corpus enTenTen20, consisting of 38 billion words gathered in 2020 from the Anglophone Internet. Lists are assembled over which words are most often used together (co-locates) with creativity. Then, the research process is outlined, where use of such distant reading tools encourages returns to close readings of other materials (for instance speeches by American presidents) in an iterative process. The cases illustrate the benefits of moving between “distant” levels where digital methods show large patterns, and more specific, detailed, “close” levels, with focus on particular points of interest. We also show how this oscillation between large-scale computer aided methods, and small-scale interpretations generate new questions. Finally, we discuss our experiences of multidisciplinary approaches to digital history, and describe setbacks and unexpected wins. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Drakman, Annelie Gelfgren, Stefan |
author_facet |
Drakman, Annelie Gelfgren, Stefan |
author_sort |
Drakman, Annelie |
title |
How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
title_short |
How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
title_full |
How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
title_fullStr |
How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
title_full_unstemmed |
How to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : Two examples from ongoing research |
title_sort |
how to combine close and distant reading within the history of science and ideas : two examples from ongoing research |
publisher |
Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-204819 https://doi.org/10.48202/241285 |
genre |
Luleå Luleå Luleå |
genre_facet |
Luleå Luleå Luleå |
op_relation |
Lychnos, 0076-1648, 2022, s. 85-108 orcid:0000-0002-7845-8762 orcid:0000-0003-1873-9666 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-204819 doi:10.48202/241285 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.48202/241285 |
_version_ |
1779316659722387456 |