Stuck in Middle with You
¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 1 The Far Left
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 These humanists would be those most resistant to change but who have none-the-less found themselves somewhat swept along by it. They use computers to check student emails; they reluctantly post a few items to education learning sights (like BlackBoard) but likely wouldn’t bother adjusting any properties, settings, let alone do any collecting or grading through the site; they use databases and access online journals for the ease of their research but likely wouldn’t use (or even be aware of) other resources like Zotero. These individuals will not seek out any kind of digital training, rather, they will passively (perhaps reluctantly) learn the emerging digital formats only when their analogue counterparts are all but obsolete. I would argue that these individuals wouldn’t rely on others to build things for them (complex word documents/blogs/websites etc.)—they would avoid using such things altogether.
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 3 The Far Right
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 In contrast to the far left, the far right will be populated by humanists who are not only eager and excited to learn how to use new software or other digital tools, but these are the people most likely to create and build such tools. As such, these individuals would need to have had formal or informal training in coding, website creation, data mining etc. along with a good knowledge of current software packages like the adobe suite. These tech-savvy thinkers are just as capable of interesting textual analysis as those humanists on the far left, they, however, also have the advantage of possessing a digital skillset that allows them to interact with texts on a different level (or to create new texts entirely). These individuals would be the ones, for example, who might—after studying Emily Dickinson’s use of analogue hypertext—create an interactive website that explores her poetry through digital hypertext. Such a project would allow scholars to examine her work with a new framework in mind but it might also lead to a better understanding of her original work.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Stuck in the Middle With You
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 I would place myself, and most humanists, in a larger center category that hangs between the two poles. These humanists utilize the most basic digital tools available as with those from the Far Left, but they might push themselves a little farther in trying to learn new tools. For example, they’ve likely created or utilized a blog, they likely have a working knowledge of popular software (but maybe aren’t current on what’s emerging just-this-minute), and they’re curious about and perhaps have even utilized tools such as Zotero but maybe haven’t found the time to really dig into its possibilities. I see this middle group not so much swept along with resistance (as with the Far Left) or leading the charge (as with the Far Right) but instead, perhaps, they are mostly just trying to keep up. Technology evolves quickly and humanists are used to observing and mulling things over. They’re curious observers and may, perhaps, find themselves caught up in a debate over digital tools and their impact on our discipline (and our culture) more so than they might be compelled to embrace and learn these tools. I think our course is perhaps illustrative of this DH “middle” as I’ve described it.
It’s interesting to me how much of this discussion aligns with discussions of two-party political systems. The “middle ground” is always the population that winds up getting fought over, with each side struggling to co-opt folks who are seen as uncommitted or wishy-washy in their opinions.
Is that the way it is here, with DH? Do you see each side of the spectrum “fighting” for the hearts and minds of the middle? And if so, why? What are the stakes associated with that fight?