Historians have long relied on traditional methods to uncover the rich tapestry of our past. However, with the advent of digital tools and methodologies, the field is undergoing a transformative shift. The “Digital Methods for the Study of Mobilities” workshop, held on June 25-26, 2024, at INALCO in Paris, France, provided a space for historians along with digital humanities scholars to explore the intersection of technology and historical research. Hosted by INALCO and UC Berkeley, the event brought together experts from various disciplines to share insights, present innovations, as well as to highlight how digital methods are enhancing the study of historical mobilities.
Two Storymodelers, Dr. Erika F. Frydenlund and Jhon G. Botello, attended the event to learn more about digital history research besides presenting a data analysis. The analysis provided the UC Berkeley team a quantitative perspective on their historical census records of Greeks in the late Ottoman Empire.
The event showcased how digital tools are being used in historical research, transforming how we access, analyze, and interpret historical data. Digital tools offer historians unprecedented opportunities to visualize complex patterns along with a way to store/share data. For instance, databases play a crucial role in this transformation, providing centralized, structured, and accessible storage that supports collaboration while ensuring long-term data preservation. However, challenges in managing, accessing, maintaining, and effectively visualizing data remain underexplored. The above brings us to the workshop’s primary objectives, which were to introduce computational tools, examine migration studies, as well as to explore the integration of digital methods in historical research. The event presented several case studies that illustrated these points.
What we presented
We highlighted how statistical methods and computational approaches can significantly enhance our understanding of historical migration patterns. The analysis pointed to the geographical dispersion of Greeks during the late Ottoman Empire, detailing their origins, destinations, and profiles of male individuals. The process included several steps, from data cleaning to visualization. Considering challenge of language, we used large language models (LLMs) to extract historical location names from Ottoman Turkish data and used a geocoder to get latitudes and longitudes. We then visualized the migration movements in relation to other variables like profession and tax status. Findings suggested that many travelers returned to their places of origin, with Greeks in Tatavla not returning as often as those in Fener, likely due to their profession-related responsibilities and commitments.
The Q&A session brought forth some interesting questions. Questions such as the decision for choosing specific variable combinations, such as profession and tax status. As non-historians, the approach was straightforward— It was about experimenting with the data and asking questions from a different perspective. While we are not historians, we can ask questions that complement a historian perspective and interrogate the data based on our methodological expertise. Attendees found our perspective original and engaging. A combination of bivariate analysis paired with a geolocated information highlighted not only movement but also the demographics of those moving. As importantly, these are approaches that can be semi-automated so it can be replicated using different data sets.
What others presented
While most of the workshop presentations focused on migration and population exchanges in the Mediterranean, three case studies provided concrete examples of how digital methods are applied in historical research:
1. Dr. Mareike König from the German Historical Institute in Paris (DHPI) showed how integrating modern and historical maps provided new insights into the integration of Germans into Paris in the 19th century. She emphasized the importance of implementing various methodologies, including statistical analysis and mapping, to enhance historical research. Additionally, her project highlighted the significance of open science, facilitating collaboration while ensuring effective sharing among researchers.
2. Dr. Agustín Cosovschi from the École française d’Athènes showcased the power of network analysis in uncovering connections within historical political events. Using Gephi, Dr. Cosovschi analyzed political parties as nodes connected to participants. This approach revealed how certain individuals acted as social connectors, bridging otherwise unconnected groups and showing the web of historical relationships.
3. Dr. Kalliopi Amygdalou from the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy presented a fascinating study on the architectural legacy of the population exchange between Greece and Türkiye. Using ArcGIS, she mapped infrastructure transformations while embedding archival images to create a rich visual history. This approach allowed for a clear comparison of urban differences between past and present landscapes.
The workshop also showcased several digital tools used in historical research:
LaCAS: A platform developed by INALCO for aggregating, structuring, and disseminating research data. It features a knowledge graph that enables visualization beyond mere reading, providing a more interactive exploration of the information.
Mapping: ArcGIS, QGIS, and Leaflet were highlighted for their mapping and spatial analysis capabilities. However, scholars expressed interest in exploring new tools that allow for creating maps with historical layers, the visualization of population data through heatmaps, and the tracking of movements.
Key Takeaways
The workshop underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the continuous exploration of new digital tools to enhance historical research. As the field evolves, workshops like this are important in bridging the gap between traditional and digital methodologies, paving the way for future innovations in the study of history. It was fascinating to see how other teams are thinking about and visualizing their data, shedding light on the role that Storymodelers can play in the data analysis and theory development happening in other fields outside of our expertise.
Written by: Jhon G. Botello
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