Organizing information is an essential part of our work in the Humanities. In projects involving Art History, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, or Heritage, we constantly deal with names, dates, places, techniques, sources, and images. As the volume and complexity of this data grow, relying solely on scattered spreadsheets, notebooks, or personal memory becomes unsustainable.
That’s where databases come in — along with the power of Digital Humanities.
Digital Humanities and the Role of Data
Digital Humanities are not a passing trend, but a critical and creative response to the challenges of contemporary research. They offer us tools to reorganize, visualize, and reinterpret knowledge — without compromising the depth, nuance, and attentiveness that define our field.
In this context, databases become fundamental for structuring collections, cross-referencing information, and preserving cultural knowledge. They are not merely technical tools: they are instruments for building memory, making absences visible, and expanding access to heritage.
Digital Cultural Heritage: What Are We Trying to Preserve?
We are living through a turning point in the relationship between culture and technology. A significant part of our heritage is migrating to digital environments: digitized artworks, audiovisual archives, virtual exhibitions, interactive publications — all of this makes up what we call Digital Cultural Heritage.
Preserving this heritage requires more than storage. It requires structure, metadata, consistency, and relationships. In other words: well-designed databases that respect cultural diversity and help sustain the plurality of knowledge systems.
A database can, for instance, allow researchers to catalog traditional practices of Indigenous communities or reconstruct the circulation networks of artworks lost to historical conflicts.
It can be the bridge between memory and the future.
But… What About Fear of Technology?
For a long time, the Humanities have cultivated a deep distrust of technology. Whether out of fear of dehumanization, superficiality, or the replacement of critical thinking with automation, skepticism became a form of resistance.
But today, that resistance puts us at a disadvantage. As the world transforms, we risk being left out of the decisions that directly shape the present and future of culture, memory, and education.
The absence of Humanities professionals in the spaces where technologies are designed and implemented is not neutral — it shapes technologies based on logics that often ignore diversity, ethics, or cultural justice.
Learning to work with data is, therefore, reclaiming agency. It’s moving from being an object of digital systems to becoming a co-creator of contemporary digital infrastructures.
“But I Don’t Have a Technical Background…”
That’s exactly why the course “Databases for Humanists” was created: for Humanities researchers who want to overcome this barrier with autonomy, clarity, and creativity.
Over the course of three intensive sessions, we combine theory, hands-on practice, and the use of artificial intelligence tools (like ChatGPT) to support data modeling and SQL query writing. Natural language is the starting point: you describe what you need, and the AI helps translate that into a functional database structure — with ongoing support and clear explanations.
What Will You Learn?
- How to structure data based on your own research projects
- How to write queries to cross-reference and interpret information
- How to connect spreadsheets and create dynamic reports
- How to use AI as a methodological ally — ethically and critically
- How to contribute to digital heritage preservation with awareness and competence
Ultimately, It’s About Autonomy
Learning databases is not just about acquiring a technical skill — it’s about reclaiming our voice in the digital debate, preserving more effectively, interpreting more deeply, and resisting more strategically.
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