Digital Humanities: Between Utopia and a New Paradigm? An Introduction to Lev Manovich’s Cultural Analytics

Radosław BOMBA

Zakład Teorii Kultury i Metodologii Nauk o Kulturze, Instytut Kulturoznawstwa, Wydział Humanistyczny, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, pl. Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 4, 20-031 Lublin, Poland , Poland

Abstract

In the present article I consider the significance of digital humanities to the modern humanities in general, as well as the role of digital humanities in broadly conceived arts and humanities. The argument I develop addresses the issue of whether the new research conceptions inspired by the digital turn constitute a new paradigm or rather manifest marks of utopian thinking. In my deliberations I focus mainly on the concept of cultural analytics developed by Lev Manovich. My argument is based on Manovich’s research method since cultural analytics is among the first concepts that propose a broad use of digital media in cultural studies. Manovich’s cultural analytics simultaneously represents the second wave of digital humanities, which goes beyond the issues concerning simple digitalization and seeks new applications of digital media in cultural studies. For all the above listed reasons, cultural analytics provides a perfect reflection of the main topics and issues of modern digital humanities.

Translated by Dorota Chabrajska

Keywords:

digital humanities, cultural analytics, Lev Manovich, paradigm in the humanities, utopia, digital media in cultural studies