Digital Humanities Research

Adam
Canadian
Digital Humanities Research MPhil/PhD
Universities and particularly humanities departments have for years been split along fairly rigid disciplinary lines. You were either an historian, or a linguist, or a literary scholar. But all of that is changing, and King’s is right at the cutting-edge of this interdisciplinary shift. My project traverses history and the digital humanities, looking at how we can paint a different picture of the past by analysing millions of historical records.

To ensure my success King’s has provided me with world-leading supervisors in both history and digital humanities, meaning I have someone to turn to no matter what type of challenge I face. If you leave a meeting more energised about your project than when you went in, you know you have a great supervisor. I am very lucky to have two great ones, both of whom are incredibly generous with their knowledge and show that they care about my research and my progress. That may sound simple, but it is incredibly valuable.

The support I have received from King’s offers doesn’t end with my supervisors, however. I was fortunate enough to receive financial assistance from the College through the King’s Continuation Scholarship. As an international student this award has made it much easier for me to focus on my studies without the added burden of finding ways to pay for them. I have also taken the opportunity to gain teaching experience by serving as a graduate teaching assistant within the history department.

The departments themselves tirelessly look for new and better ways to bolster student research and experiences. Despite the fact that I attend a world-class university, the heads of both of my departments know me by name and greet me warmly in the corridors. You don’t get that everywhere, but we have it here, and that’s pretty cool.

Rebecca
South African
Digital Humanities Research MPhil/PhD
While working in the digital nonprofit sector in South Africa, I found out about the Department of Digital Humanities and the work they were doing on the Desmond Tutu digital archive project. This is a subject close to the hearts of most South Africans, and I realized that King’s was doing groundbreaking research in the digital humanities, and that it would probably be the best place to learn more. So I came to King’s in 2010 to start an MA in Digital Asset Management, and have stayed on to do a PhD.

I am funding my studies with some grants from South Africa, and a King’s Alumni Bursary, which has made it much easier to continue at King's. My research is onto digitisation projects in national memory institutions, like libraries, archives and museums.

Being in the department of Digital Humanities is, without doubt, one of the very best places for me to be doing this research for several reasons. My supervisors and other staff members in the department have many years of experience working in these areas. Secondly, the fact that my department works on several large-scale research projects all over Europe means that I have access to materials and expertise that is unique.

During my MA year I worked for some time on the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure project, which was fascinating and a real education, and I hope to be able to continue working on projects such as this during the rest of my time at King’s. It doesn’t hurt that my department is full of generous, supportive and interesting people, from my fellow PhD cohort to the teaching and research staff.

Thinking about how the humanities are changing as a result of the possibilities opened up by digital technology will be central to the future of the discipline. I hope to be able to return to South Africa and make a difference there as a result of the cutting-edge skills and experience I am lucky enough to be gaining at King’s.