Digital Humanities in the German-Speaking World

The topic of digital humanities provokes widely varying views in the German-speaking world. In Germany digitalization efforts are often limited to a regional scale. This paper presents several examples of digitalization in the humanities: the use of audio sources, weblogs, big data, and simulations. The paper also examines the dissemination of practices of digitalization in the German-speaking world. Some experts note structural problems for digital innovation in Germany. Others make a plea for the realization of achievable tasks. The third part of the paper focuses on the general discussion of digitalization in Germany. Several authors see Germany in a “digital hibernation.” Prominent intellectuals such as Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Frank Schirrmacher, and Harald Welzer have on the other hand become harsh critics of digitalization.</p