Citizen science in the humanities

Digital Humanities Center dhc@lu.lv

This topic explores citizen science in the humanities from a historical, methodological, and forward-looking perspective. It examines how public participation in humanities research has developed over time, how it is shaped by changing social and technological conditions, and how emerging digital infrastructures transform practices of collaboration, data creation, and knowledge production. The topic welcomes research on past, present, and future models of citizen involvement, including the role of digital platforms, automation, and new forms of distributed research. The research focus is open. Possible directions include, but are not limited to:

• how citizen science in the humanities has evolved historically, and how current practices build on or diverge from earlier traditions of public knowledge-making
• how technological advances (e.g. digital platforms, automation, AI-assisted tools) are reshaping participation, research workflows, and epistemic authority in humanities citizen science
• how future-oriented models of citizen science can balance innovation with ethical considerations and citizen agency, data quality, sustainability, and meaningful recognition of contributors.