On History, Historical Materialism and Artificial Intelligence
Historians research, analyse and interpret the past, extracting meaning and establishing patterns from evidence (Anderson, 2004: 81-82). This evidence is often hard to find, it's located in the ground or within the archival depths. Once found, a historian works with primary sources; eavesdropping on the past to construct arguments about what happened and weighing up evidence based on scraps of information (Galgano et al., 2008: 1-5, Devon et al., 2012: 122). The standard hist
2 days ago6 min read
Digital Folklore or Fakelore? History and Archives in Practice, Western Bank Library, April 16th 2025
A few weeks ago, The National Archives (TNA) came to town, with our University of Sheffield Special Collections hosting History and Archives in Practice (HAP). Bridging archivists and historians through close conversation, HAP is a key TNA event demonstrating the range of work being done on historical collections, with an emphasis on hands-on research. Of course, applying digital methods to collections is central to archival practice, and offers a way to enhance the co-creati
Apr 277 min read
Yacks to Hacks, Should Historians Increasingly Code?
I felt old today, on account of visiting my old sixth form at Tapton High School. For the last few years, the school has coordinated with the University of Sheffield to host a set of Humanities and Social Science Seminars. These are intended to offer Tapton students a flavour of what undergraduate programming looks like, in an informal space, between their usual lessons. It also offers a key opportunity for the university to strengthen its connections with schools in the area
Mar 269 min read