Towards a resemantisation of the concept of modelling in digital humanities

The contribution focuses on a “conceptual map” of selected key concepts made by the authors to underpin the theory and practice of modelling in the Digital Humanities (DH). The map, associated glossary and examples of practice are derived from the authors’ collaborative research and the recently published volume: Modelling between digital and humanities: thinking in practice. Departing from the book, we aim to dwell further on a few points. We would like to propose a resemantisation of the concept of model, guided by the idea that a language on modelling in DH can be developed by mapping relevant uses of the term so as to grasp not only the theoretical but also the practical dimension. Terminological reflections help us to highlight the dynamics and interdependence between the two dimensions and, above all, their interdependence, but can also foreground the challenges of connecting any theoretical work back to the actuality of models. Background assumptions for the paper are the reliance on the mediating capacity of language in the construction of interdisciplinary spaces and the central role of modelling in DH as a pragmatic process of thinking and reasoning where meaning is negotiated through the creation and manipulation of external representations combined with an imaginative use of formal and informal languages.