Institutional Arrangements in the Absence of Disciplinary Definitions: Digital Humanities in Switzerland

Abstract

The digitalization of research practices in the humanities has led to the emergence of the field of digital humanities (DH). DH has made significant progress in institutionalization, while remaining underdefined. Through a qualitative study of Swiss universities we explore how institutional structures and definitions of DH interact. We show that underdefinition enables flexibility in institutionalization, while the local contexts that lead to diverse institutional arrangements may necessitate the underdefinition of DH.

Keywords

• digital humanities
• institutionalization
• interdisciplinarity
• academia
• switzerland