Finding a place for genealogy and family history in the digital humanities
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-11-2017-0044 |
| Pages | 215-226 |
| Date | 13 August 2018 |
| Published date | 13 August 2018 |
| Author | Casey Daniel Hoeve |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
Finding a place for genealogy
and family history in the
digital humanities
Casey Daniel Hoeve
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Despite its growing popularity, there is a noticeable absence of references to the inclusion of
genealogy and family history studies within the field of digital humanities. New forms of inclusiveness,
particularly in production-coding and cultural analysis, closelyalign genealogy and family history with the
core tenants practiced among humanities computing and digital humanities. Thispaper aims to prove that
genealogyas family history should be formally recognized withinthis cohort, as it can serve as a valuable and
innovativepartner for advocacy and technologicaladvancement of the field.
Design/methodology/approach –By examining the literature, genealogy will be defined according to its
use in the digital humanities, as well as its use in family history studies. The core tenants of humanities computing
and digital humanities will be identified and compared against the research methodology and technological tools
used in genealogy and family history research. The comparison will determine how closely the fields align, and if
genealogy defined as family history should be used, and included within the field of digital humanities.
Findings –The progression of genealogy and family history from production to cultural analysis
corresponds with the transition of production and coding (influenced by humanities computing) to the
inclusion of experimental cultural research adopted by the digital humanities. Genealogy’suseof
technological tools, such as databases, text encoding, data-text mining, graphic information systems and
DNA mapping,demonstrates the use of coding and production. Culturalanalysis through demographic study,
crowdsourcing and establishing cultural connections illustrates new methods of scholarship, and connects
coding and cultural criticism,serving as a bridge between digital humanities and the humanities at large.As
genealogy continues to create new partnerships of a collaborative nature, it can, and will, continue to
contribute to new areas of study within the field. As these practices continue to converge with the digital
humanities,genealogy should be recognized as a partner and member in the digital humanitiescohort.
Originality/value –Despite its growing popularity, there is a noticeable absence of references to the
inclusion of genealogy and family history studies within the field of the digital humanities. The term
genealogy resonates differently within the digital humanities, primarily articulating thehistory of the field
over the study and research of family lineage. This study seeks to demonstrate how genealogy and family
history can fit within the digitalhumanities, providing a new perspective that has not yet been articulatedin
the scholarlyliterature.
Keywords Libraries, Intersectionality, Cultural analysis humanities, Genetic ancestry,
Historical societies, Humanities computing
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
The organization of familiallineage originates through oral traditions and the written word.
While antediluvian identities have been lost, known pedigrees exist from portions of
fragmented recordsand surviving oral accounts, as well as official records and the emerging
use of internet databases and DNA mapping. Recognizable genealogical records appear in
such familiar sources as the Bible, Egyptian artifacts and the lineage of Confucius; until
contact with Europeans, peoples of the Pacific Islands exclusively used oral genealogies,
Genealogy in
digital
humanities
215
Received28 November 2017
Revised28 February 2018
11May 2018
Accepted17 May 2018
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.34 No. 3, 2018
pp. 215-226
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-11-2017-0044
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