The First Page: Intelligent Computing for Cultural Heritage
THE FIRST PAGE
Intelligent Computing for Cultural Heritage:
Global Achievements and China’s Innovations
by Xiaoguang Wang, Marcia Lei Zeng, Jin Gao and Ke Zhao
19 September 2024
The First Page presents the first page of books that are launched as part of the IAS Book Launch Programme. On 26 September 2024, Xiaoguang Wang, Marcia Lei Zeng, Jin Gao and Ke Zhao launch the edited volume Intelligent Computing for Cultural Heritage: Global Achievements and China’s Innovations, that offers a global perspective on the latest advancements and trends in digital humanities and intelligent computing of cultural heritage, covering both academic research and case studies within cultural institutions.
Preface
Digital humanities (DH) is an interdisciplinary field that uses computational methods and technologies to conduct humanities research while also applying a humanistic lens to study the digital applications (Berry & Fagerjord, 2017). Globally, an increasing number of scholars have been embracing technologies and methodologies such as computing, geographic information systems (GIS), data visualisation, digital media, and artificial intelligence (AI) to address research questions and critically evaluate and debate such interdisciplinary efforts in the digital era. In China, significant developments have been made in the field of DH. The first DH research centre on the mainland China was established at Wuhan University in 2011. By December 2023, over 20 research centres dedicated to DH had been established across the region. The 5th Chinese Digital Humanities (CDH2023) Conference, convened in December 2023 in Wuhan, was themed “Symbiosis of Digital and Physical: Envisioning the Future of Digital Humanities”. CDH2023 covered a diverse range of topics, encompassing smart data, digital publishing, revitalisation of ancient texts, digitisation of cultural heritage, AI, and digital gaming, as well as studies in linguistics, literature, music, art, history, and archaeology. The discussions and presentations vividly demonstrated the latest developments and achievements in China’s DH research, highlighting its growing influence and significance in the academic field.
The continued flourishing of DH has also infused innovative thinking towards the digital revitalisation of cultural heritage, providing traditional humanities scholars with new application scenarios, digital tools, and research perspectives (Kenderdine, 2016, p.23). This promotes the extensive application and advancement from digital cultural heritage research to DH research in computational social sciences (Münster etal., 2019; Gefen etal., 2021). Research from different nations and regions prioritises their unique cultural characteristics and academic histories, which generates diverse developments and thematic directions (Mahony, 2018; Münster & Terras, 2020). On the rich foundation of cultural heritage digitisation and advancement of computational methods, it is important to consider how to further promote DH research of cultural heritage using computing technologies and critical analysis to support future practices with DH thinking and contribute to the cultural and spiritual connotations of cultural
XIAOGUANG WANG is Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Information Management and Executive Vice Dean of the Big Data Institute, Director of the Intellectual Computing Laboratory for Cultural Heritage, and Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities at Wuhan University, China. His research interests are digital asset management, knowledge organisation, semantic publishing, and digital humanities.
MARCIA LEI ZENG is Professor of Information Science at Kent State University, USA. Her research interests include knowledge organisation systems, metadata, semantic technologies, and digital humanities.
JIN GAO is Lecturer in Digital Archives at UCL and Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her research interests focus on Digital Humanities history, network analysis, and digital cultural heritage.
KE ZHAO is a PhD researcher in Publishing Science at the School of Information Management, Wuhan University, China. Her research interests include digital humanities, digital publishing, digital storytelling, and human-centred design.
The book launch will take place on 26 September 2024 at the Institute of Advanced Studies. More information.
Lead Image: Manuel via Unsplash.
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