Computational humanities expand the scope of traditional humanities research through the use of digital tools and computational methods. Our research group focuses on the modelling and analysis of humanities data.

Digital technology is fundamentally changing the way in which we engage the research process.

(David M. Berry, 2011)

As digital technology has become ubiquitous and more and more data is becoming available in electronic form, we are witnessing what Berry calls a “computational turn in the humanities”. Computational humanities use digital tools and computational techniques to explore new modes of doing research in the humanities.

Computational humanities deal with the following questions:

  • How can humanities data – which is traditionally interpreted in an idiographic, hermeneutic way – be modeled in a way it becomes available for computational, empiric analyses?
  • How can existing scholarly practices in the humanities be enhanced by digital tools and algorithmic approaches that enable new, quantitative perspectives on research topics in the humanities?
  • How can we analyze and document our born digital cultural heritage – e.g video games, YouTube videos, Tweets, etc.? What are the requirements for digital tools and infrastructures?

Visit our research pages to see how we approach the above challenges. The Computational Humanities Group in Leipzig is led by Prof. Dr. phil. Manuel Burghardt. The group is part of the institute for computer science.