Things That Matter

“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 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 eighth edition of the summer school is hosted by Durham University, UK.
Things that Matter 2022 may also be taken as an online course by students across the world. Teaching will be organised in a hybrid format using Meeting OWL equipment, and sessions will be recorded for asynchronous viewing where necessary. Online students will also be given access to the course materials made available on a Blackboard site hosted by Groningen University, to which you will be given access. The cost for participating in the online course is £125. Further inquiries regarding the online course can be directed to Professor Graeme Small, g.p.small@durham.ac.uk.
Partners
The 2021 edition of the summer school is hosted by Durham University. Please see their summer school page for general information about the programme.


Sponsor

Last modified: | 08 February 2023 1.37 p.m. |