Present, not voting: Digital Humanities in the Panopticon: closing plenary speech, Digital Humanities 2010

Abstract

Digital Humanities faces many issues in the current financial and educational climate. In this closing plenary from the Digital Humanities conference 2010 at King’s College London, major concerns about the current role and function of Digital Humanities are raised, demonstrating the practical and theoretical aspects of Digital Humanities research in regard to an individual project at University College London: Transcribe Bentham. It is suggested that those in the Digital Humanities have to be more aware of our history, impact, and identity, if the discipline is to continue to flourish in tighter economic climes, and that unless we maintain and establish a more professional attitude towards our scholarly outputs, we will remain ‘present, not voting’ within the academy. The plenary ends with suggestions as to how the individual, institution, and funding body can foster and aid the Digital Humanities, ensuring the field’s relevance and impact in today’s academic culture. This paper is a transcript of what was planned to be said at DH2010, although the spoken plenary digresses from the following in places. The video of the speech can be viewed at http://www.arts-humanities.net/video/dh2010_keynote_melissa_terras_present_not_voting_digital_humanities_panopticon.