Summer School: Things That Matter. Material and Culture in/for the Digital Age
Information
Fees £250. Free for students of the Universities of Durham, Uppsala and Groningen
Level MA/PhD
Academic coordinators
Dr. Mikael Alm (University of Uppsala)
Prof. Raingard Esser (University of Groningen)
Prof. Graeme Small (Durham University)
“Things that Matter” addresses the tension between the materiality of sources and their digitization. The recent advances of digital technology have created new modes of reproduction and forms of consumption that have substantially reshaped the concepts of ‘object’ and of ‘collection’ at the heart of cultural institutions such as libraries and museums.
The Summer School engages with key questions that arise from the study of the past in the digital age. These issues include the changing nature of objects such as books and scientific instruments as source materials; the history and practice of collections and collecting, digitization and its challenges, both technological and intellectual. “Things that Matter” maps the possibilities and challenges posed by the digital age for researchers. The ongoing process of digitization makes sources of the past available to a previously unknown extent: but what does this mean for researchers?
We will also discuss the role of objects in Public History. How does society approach the legacy of “things” in museums and heritage institutions? Which objects are “worth keeping”, why and when?
Who determines the selection process and what are the selection criteria for curators, archivists and other agents in the sector? What collections are digitized and why those? Who makes the selections? How do we meet scientific demands on systematic design and transparency when working on online search engines and on differing (and sometimes incompatible) designs of data bases?
The Summer School is developed in collaboration with the related Masters programmes at Durham, Groningen, and Uppsala. These programmes offer interdisciplinary and cross-chronological approaches to the study of the societies and cultures in the premodern and early modern world. This 7th edition of the summer school is hosted by Durham University, UK.
Requirements
This school is intended for Masters students and PhD students working in the disciplines of History, Art History, Museum and Heritage Studies, and Cultural Studies broadly intended. Students should be studying at (Research) Masters level or should be working on a PhD project.
It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.