Digital Humanities in Türkiye

Digital Human Digital Humanities (DH) is a field that has emerged through the integration of digital technologies into the humanities and has added new dimensions to research methods. DH employs various techniques such as text mining, analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), natural language processing, and digital archiving to offer innovative analytic approaches in disciplines including history, literature, sociology and archaeology like. In Türkiye, DH has begun to gain momentum particularly in areas such as Ottoman historiography, cultural heritage management, and literary analysis important place. The application of digital methods enables deeper analysis of documents, allowing systematic examination of large data sets and facilitating more nuanced strong inferences.

The development of DH in Türkiye has been driven by increasing academic interest in digital technologies. Graduate programs at universities are increasingly incorporating digital research methods, and interdisciplinary collaboration is being encouraged. In particular, within the context of Ottoman historiography, the digitization of archival documents and the use of data analysis techniques have become widespread. For instance, the automated transcription and analysis of Ottoman archival records and registers enable historians to access data that would be inaccessible through traditional methods. One of the significant works that have enhanced the impact of DH on Türkiye’s academic literature is the book “Digital Humanities and Ottoman Studies.” This work provides a comprehensive frame on how digital methods can be applied in Ottoman historiography.

DH projects in Türkiye are concentrated in areas such as Ottoman history, cultural heritage management, and literary studies. The Digital Ottoman and Türkiye Studies (DOS) platform enhances academic interaction by providing researchers with digital resources. Additionally, projects such as the Ulema Database, which contains biographical information on Ottoman religious scholars and expands their networks using social network analysis, allow for a broader perspective on the influence of historical figures. The Ruznamçeleri Project, which analyzes data related to the Ottoman administrative system through modeling, and the Ottoman Turkish Automatic Translation Project, developed using artificial intelligence-supported text processing technologies, are notable examples of DH initiatives in Türkiye.

Methods adopted in DH in Türkiye include natural language processing (NLP), big data analytics, text mining, and GIS-based spatial analysis. In particular, the automated transcription and analysis of documents written in Ottoman Turkish facilitate the creation of historical databases. Social network analysis methods are used to examine relationships among Ottoman bureaucrats, ulema, and palace members. GIS technologies assist in studying spatial changes in Ottoman cities and interpreting administrative transformations. Through these methods, large datasets derived from Ottoman archives are processed using machine learning algorithms to contribute to the reconstruction of historical narratives.

Another prominent approach in DH research in Türkiye is the systematic creation and integration of databases with scholarly investigations. Historical mapping projects, visual analysis techniques, and big data processing methods are generating new perspectives on the past. For example, the digital analysis of Ottoman urban plans enables new insights into historical space usage. Similarly, text mining techniques applied to Ottoman literary works make it possible to uncover literary themes, narrative structures, and word usage trends current state.

Although significant progress has been made in DH in Türkiye, several fundamental challenges limit further advancement. These include gaps in digital infrastructure, insufficient training and awareness levels, incomplete digitization of archives, and inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration. The cost of hardware and software required for DH projects also constitutes a major barrier for researchers. Moreover, current academic programs have not yet reached a sufficient level in equipping historians with data science and computer programming skills.

The failure to digitize Ottoman archives with semantic meaning presents a major obstacle in the digital transformation of historical research. Only a portion of archives in Türkiye are openly accessible, leading to difficulties in data sharing. In interdisciplinary projects, a fully integrated research culture has not yet been established among scholars from different academic traditions. Addressing these shortcomings is of great importance for the development of DH in Türkiye.

To sustain the development of DH in Türkiye, it is necessary to expand educational programs, strengthen data infrastructure, and increase academic collaboration. Graduate programs incorporating DH should be widely promoted, and targeted workshop initiatives should be organized to enhance historians’ competencies in data analytics and computer science. Open-access digital libraries should be established for Ottoman archives and other cultural heritage data, and policies promoting data sharing should be developed. Encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration in academia will enable historians to undertake joint projects with computer engineers, data scientists, and AI specialists.

Increasing the number of state supported projects will contribute to strengthening the digital infrastructure. Projects developed through collaboration among Public institutions, universities, and the private sector will enable DH research in Türkiye to attain global visibility competition.