Research Aims

The future of historical research is characterised by digital technologies that expand methodology, processes and practices, and which support and influence the reproduction, representation, analysis and interpretation of historical sources. However, the digital transformation is not only changing research but also its institutions, so that a critical reflection on the institutional, social and economic conditions of current digitalisation is required. The IEG takes the entire spectrum of digital change into consideration and is actively involved in shaping this transformation.

“Digitality of historical research” is a transversal research group at the IEG. Here, the use of digital tools and methods is trialled at the IEG in explorative and collaborative working forums and the development of a digital hermeneutics is promoted through the integration of IT methods with basic historical principles. At the same time, the research group also has an impact on the work of the groups of “Society”, “Religion” and, in due course, “Environment” in order to support source criticism, heuristics and analyses with digital tools and processes. The Europe forum addresses the digital transformation and the limitations and delimitations it entails as a fundamental question of historical research on Europe. Various formats – such as informal events, open sessions and individual consultations – contribute to exchange and training in digital methods and tools within the IEG.

The IEG attaches great importance to quality assurance, documentation and archiving of digital research data and promotes their further use in accordance with FAIR principles. The handling of data is considered an integral part of digital methods in historical research and data spaces from European and colonial contexts are examined from multiple perspectives as part of the IEG’s research projects. The underlying research ethics are based on a historical-critical examination of the genesis and modelling of the data, the software used and the provenance and conditions of data access. With the DH Lab, the IEG is in possession of expertise and resources for the management and curation of research data and thus contributes to the long-term availability, usability and archiving of research data and digital collections at the IEG. Research data management is operated and developed at the Institute on three levels: individual research support, institutional procedures and services at the IEG and participation in subject-specific developments in the historical sciences.

Within the framework of “Open Science”, research products and processes at the IEG are made accessible to other researchers and the interested public, and the IEG is committed to an institutional culture of openness by communicating research results transparently. Moreover, the IEG makes data collections and information systems available to researchers and the public on a long-term basis within the framework of “IEG digital”. This institutional service is continuously curated and developed. The department also offers a variety of educational and transfer formats such as courses and qualification and exchange programmes as well as public events to promote participation in digital, open historical research.

The IEG emphasises the importance of cooperation between various actors working in research, teaching, memory institutions and research infrastructures in order to meet the challenges of digital change in the historically-oriented humanities. Collaboration in cross-institutional networks, working groups and committees forms a basic building block for the diversity of expertise and services in digital historical research at the IEG. The IEG is involved in academic organisations and infrastructural networks, particularly in the coordination of the NFDI4Memory consortium. The 4Memory consortium brings together research organisations, memory institutions and information infrastructures from the historically-oriented humanities. NFDI4Memory is developing a portfolio of key services that systematically link historical scholarship and digital resources.

By virtue of the developments and activities in this research group, the IEG sees itself as a point of contact for digital methodology in the historical sciences. In this way, we also aim to contribute to integrating historical methodology even more strongly into the digitality of interdisciplinary scholarship.