17.066 history in terms

From: Humanist Discussion Group (by way of Willard McCarty willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk)
Date: Sat Jun 07 2003 - 02:44:19 EDT

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                    Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 17, No. 66.
           Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
                       www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
                         Submit to: humanist@princeton.edu

             Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 07:12:13 +0100
             From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk>
             Subject: history in terms

    I would very much like comment on the hypothesis that the development of
    our field is historically marked in three stages by the terms we have used
    to name it, as follows:

    (1) "computers and the humanities", which posits two distinct and separated
    entities that put in juxtaposition suggest an initial realization that they
    have or might have something to do with each other;

    (2) "computing in the humanities", which shifts attention from the rapidly
    shrinking physical box and names an activity that is commonly found within
    the practices of the humanities;

    (3) "humanities computing", which takes advantage of the ability in English
    to adjectivize the noun "humanities" but simultaneously to counterbalance
    its subordination by placing it before its now governing noun "computing"
    -- which is, as above, present-participial in force; the result nicely
    encapsulates a computing that is of as well as in the humanities.

    Yours,
    WM

    Dr Willard McCarty | Senior Lecturer | Centre for Computing in the
    Humanities | King's College London | Strand | London WC2R 2LS || +44 (0)20
    7848-2784 fax: -2980 || willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk
    www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/



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