Events

ACDH Lecture: From Punch Cards to Prompt Engineering [Jan 20, online, 16:45 CET]

ACDH Lecture: “From Punch Cards to Prompt Engineering: The MHDBD and the Future of Semantic Annotation with LLMs” with Katharina Zeppezauer-Wachauer & Julia Hintersteiner (both Universität Salzburg)


đź“… Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
⏰ 16:45 – 18:15


The invited speakers will present the complete technological redesign of the Mittelhochdeutsche Begriffsdatenbank (hashtag#MHDBDB): After decades of development in relational and RDF-based environments, the project has moved to a TEI-first architecture designed to support LLM-driven research.

The speakers address the key reasons for this shift:
i) the need for structured, AI-readable data;
ii) the practical limits of high-complexity standoff models; and
iii) the excessive resource demands of large-scale RDF infrastructures.

In this context, Large Language Models are reshaping annotation, search, and interpretation. TEI-XML emerges as a sustainable framework for transparent, semantically robust, and interoperable Expert-in-the-Loop workflows, balancing philological rigor with AI scalability.
The talk offers a focused perspective on the evolving technical foundations of text research in the humanities.

More detailed information,

https://www.oeaw.ac.at/acdh/newsevents/event-series/acdh-lecture-121

This lecture is jointly organised in close collaboration with the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities (ACDH) and the University of Vienna and is part of the University’s Digital Humanities Lecture Circuit (WS 2025).

Authority, Hierarchies and Games: An overview of multilingual language practices in Final Fantasy, Minecraft and PUBG in Twitch and live gaming scenarios [Jan 19, online, @17:15 UTC+1]

Authority, Hierarchies and Games. An overview of multilingual language practices in Final Fantasy, Minecraft and PUBG in Twitch and live gaming scenarios

We are pleased to invite you to the next talk in the lecture series Digital Humanities in Focus, organized by RosDH, the Digital Humanities Working Group at the University of Rostock.

On Monday, January 19, 2026 at 17:15 (UTC+1), Laura Vawter, PhD Candidate at the Institute of English and American Studies (Rostock), will give a talk titled:

“Authority, Hierarchies and Games. An overview of multilingual language practices in Final Fantasy, Minecraft and PUBG in Twitch and live gaming scenarios”

Abstract:

Cultural and linguistic analysis of language in digital environments and gaming scenarios is a global and interdisciplinary field that encompasses linguistics, digitalization, education, and computer science. Digital Humanities (DH) too is an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationship between philosophy, cultural studies, social sciences, and digitalization.

The exploration of digital games not only has profound implications for the transformational nature of these intersecting fields but is key to unlocking a digital culture that is central to the lives of current, younger, and future generations. Just as language is how we, as individuals, create meaning, games and participation in gaming culture are how individuals create meaning in the digital world.
This lecture discusses linguistic patterns in gaming scenarios, how players establish and shape hierarchies within gaming communities using gaming language, and its implications for future research in DH.

The event will take place online. Access to the Zoom link and further information can be found here.

Everyone interested is welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction [Jan 13, online, 10-12 CET]

Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction [Jan 13, online, 10-12 CET]

The lecture is public and can be attended only via zoom. The talk will not be recorded.

Dr. Katrin Rohrbacher (NĂĽrnberg/Erlangen):

Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction

In this talk, I will present ongoing work on measuring the notion of narrative space using machine learning methods, specifically by fine-tuning BERT-based classification models and applying them to a large collection of German and English historical prose fiction, including both canonical works and non-fiction. Moving from theorization and conceptualization to dataset creation, modeling, analysis, and interpretation, I will outline the steps involved in conducting a computational study of this kind. We will examine results that show how the concepts of “setting” and “lived space” have been used in fiction over time and discuss their implications for “experientiality” and embodiment more broadly, including cross-linguistic perspectives between German and English. The talk also introduces a methodological model for iterative, interpretive “computational reading” that bridges qualitative and quantitative approaches.

When: January 13, 2026, 10-12 hs

Where:  Zoom 

Zoom link:  https://uni-bielefeld.zoom-x.de/j/67280092106?pwd=Zlzqqy980r2N7I1wTktAbbV33tCBaj.1

Technical Writing in the Humanities: a facilitated writing sprint [Dec 15, online, 13:30-15:00 GMT]

Technical Writing in the Humanities: a facilitated writing sprint

The Digital Skills in Arts and Humanities Network (DISKAH) is organising a webinar on “Technical Writing in the Humanities: a facilitated writing sprint” in collaboration with the Programming Historian to support interested colleagues in developing a publication targeted to this journal, and more widely in communicating your technical workflows within Digital Humanities research to relevant audiences.

Webinar date and time: Monday 15 December, 13:30-15:00 (GMT)

Please register here for the webinar: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/diskah-webinar-technical-writing-in-the-humanities-tickets-1976718137160

Further information about the webinar: https://culturedigitalskills.org/webinar-diskah-programming-historian/

When Machines Read Manuscripts: Tools and Challenges in Handwritten Text Recognition [Dec 16, online, @16:45 CET]

When Machines Read Manuscripts: Tools and Challenges in Handwritten Text Recognition

The FSP Digital Humanities at the University of Vienna is very pleased to announce the third of the Digital Humanities Invited Lecture Series for the winter semester 2025/26. All lectures will be streamed via the following link: 

https://ustream.univie.ac.at/live/4b4961fd-6b8d-4be7-a222-62912c0dada0

16 December, 16:45 CET –  Dr. Jan OdstrÄŤilĂ­k, Austrian Academy of Sciences

When Machines Read Manuscripts: Tools and Challenges in Handwritten Text Recognition