Data Science, Culture & Social Change

The Theme Group Data Science, Culture & Social Change is a multidisciplinary international academic research network in the Research Centre for the Study of Democratic Cultures and Politics (DemCP), University of Groningen, that connects faculty from Harvard University, the University of Groningen, the University of Antioquia and other global leading academic institutions. Members are working at the intersections between Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences. This group aims to provide novel solutions to complex problems that demand collaborative academic work, as defined in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the European Commission Missions. We seek to analyze  cultural and political processes by means of methodological and technological innovation. Both our research findings as well as our new methodologies are to advance cultural and educational science and policy-making.

The group will serve as a platform for active collaboration between scholars working within and across different fields (digital humanities, educational innovation, cultural analytics, computational linguistics, discourse analysis, political science, computer science, etc.). Examples of ongoing collaborative projects involving group members include AI-Enabled Feedback for Students and Lecturers; Perusall; Metaphor Automatic Detection; Data Science, Social Mobilization and Interpretative Communities (Converging Horizons). The research group will facilitate dialogue and sharing of best practices across existing projects, as well as fostering the development of research ideas combining technological innovation and new methodologies for the study of culture and society.

We set out to

• foster top-class international research in a multidisciplinary setting;
• develop and combine innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies;
• collaborate and perform international and interdisciplinary Team Science;
• find answers to pressing questions on contemporary cultural and political developments in fields such as social conflicts and crises, processes of cultural standardization and uniformity, populism, language policies, and migration, among others;
• design and implement new technological tools for active learning in higher education;
• attract funding at international competitive research schemes.

We aim to

• establish a firm research network between all partners of the group;
• publish the group findings with leading academic publishing houses and present them at top-class international conferences, symposia and workshops;
• advise relevant actors in the areas of innovation and research and policymakers worldwide about topics and challenges related to our expertise;
• propose innovative solutions to face contemporary challenges and to promote work with communities.

Theme Group Members

University of Groningen:

• Prof. Dr Pablo Valdivia, coordinator
• Gonzalo Albornoz Barra (PhD researcher)
• Dr Hans Beldhuis
• Rosmery-Ann Boegeholz (PhD researcher)
• Teun Joshua Brandt (PhD researcher)
• Claria Ciopata (junior researcher)
• Dr Marc Esteve Del Valle
• Dr Alberto Godioli
• Dr Judith Jansma
• Dr Gemma Lopez Canicio
• Prof. Dr Merel Keijzer
• Klara Kosova (PhD Researcher)
• Dr Florian Lippert
• María Isabel Marin Morales (PhD researcher)
• Dr Konstantin Mierau
• Elizabeth Pinilla (PhD researcher)
• Beer Prakken (PhD researcher)
• Dr Ksenia Robbe
• Dr Dimitris Soudias
• Dr Jeanette den Toonder
• Dr Vera Veldhuizen

Other universities:

• Prof. Dr Tomas Albaladejo Mayordomo (Autonomous University of Madrid)
• Dr Raúl Álvarez Moreno (University of British Columbia)
• Dr Joanne Britland (Farmingham State University)
• Prof. Dr Elias Feijo (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)
• Dr Manuel de la Fuente (University of Valencia)
• Prof. Dr Alvaro Gimenez Sarmiento (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
• Andrés Grajales (Junior researcher, University of Antioquia)
• Dr Maria Khotimsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Prof. Dr Gary King (Harvard University)
• Dr Christian Kirchmeier (Universität Bremen)
• Dr Lilian Kroth (University of Freiburg)
• Dr Elizabeth Lagresa González (University of British Columbia)
• Alodia Lopez Sola (Junior researcher, University of Murcia)
• Dr Sonia Madrid (University of Murcia)
• Prof. Dr Luis Martin Estudillo (University of Iowa)
• Prof. Dr Eric Mazur (Harvard University)
• Dr Kelly Miller (Harvard University)
• Dr Jorge Molina (University of Antioquia)
• Anna Moskal (Monash University)
• Orli Naamani (Meulenhoff Publishers)
• Dr Maria del Puy Alvarado (Universidad Complutense Madrid)
• Dr Roberto Samartim (Universidade da Coruña)
• Dr Susana Sotelo (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)
• Dr Juan del Valle Rojas (Catholic University of Temuco)
• Dr Ana Vanesa Valero García (University of Murcia)
• Carmen Villarino (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)

Peer-reviewed book series

The University of Groningen Press (UGP) peer reviewed book series 'Data Science, Culture and Social Change' is a joint editorial effort between the research groups Data Science, Culture and Social Change of the University of Groningen and the research incubator group Corpus ex Machina of the Universidad de Antioquia. The relationship between these universities has grown stronger in recent years and this collection aims to continue the production of knowledge from a modern, interdisciplinary and multicultural perspective. The 'Data Science, Culture and Social Change' series will provide a collaborative space for an international network working within and across different fields (digital humanities, educational innovation, cultural analytics, computational and corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, political science, computer science, etc.).

The first book in the series was published in September of 2023. Digital Humanities, Corpus and Language Technology: A look from diverse case studies / Humanidades Digitales, Corpus y Tecnología del Lenguaje: Una mirada desde diversos casos de estudio explores the intersection of technology and the humanities. Visit the UGP website for more information.

Hermes Summer School

In the 2024 interdisciplinary Hermes Summer School ‘Narrating Degrowth and Sustainability: Cultural Imaginaries and the 4th Industrial Revolution,’ we will explore, analyze, and problematize cultural narratives of degrowth and sustainability, with particular attention to how they might unfold new imaginaries that can contribute to developing novel ways of rethinking the social fabric.

This summer school aims to provide participants with a critical understanding of narratives of degrowth and sustainability, their complex relations and their implications for sustainable development.
More information: OSLit.nl