Critical Digital Humanities

For scholars navigating the intersection of computational analysis and traditional humanities, this book offers a crucial and timely investigation into whether data science can truly coexist with established interpretive methods. James E. Dobson meticulously explores the opportunities and inherent complications that arise when humanists adopt sophisticated computational tools for textual study, arguing that these powerful new methods should augment, not replace, existing critical frameworks.

What makes this work distinctive is its refusal to offer easy answers, instead providing a clear-eyed assessment of the field's current state and its potential future. Dobson demonstrates that while computational thinking can serve scholarship, ideas of scientific objectivity often clash with the nuanced, context-driven nature of humanistic inquiry. This is essential reading for students and researchers in digital humanities who seek a critical, rather than a merely celebratory, perspective on how technology is reshaping their discipline, ultimately empowering them to engage with these tools more thoughtfully and effectively.