Paper long abstract:

This paper will discuss 'gains' and 'pains' of the new methodologies introduced by Digital Humanities. Can we use frequency analysis, graphs and data visualizations as supplements to 'classical' methods as e.g. critical discourse analysis? Whereas some authors express concerns about the impact of neoliberalism on Digital Humanities, cyberstructuralists pursue technological optimism arguing that new methods and genres will revive the interest to humanities. Such revival implies the transformation of our approach to studying culture and its artifacts. Data-technological coding and graphical visualizations are meant to enrich the ways of how we perceive and further conceptualize (cultural) phenomena. The discussions within the field of Digital Humanities center around the issues of performativity and materiality of the knowledge, which exists in interactive form.

To study these questions more closely, the paper will present an analysis of a corpus of Norwegian newspapers (1999-2011) concentrating on the issues of 'gender' and 'migration'. The corpus is accessible at the National Library of Norway, which also offers data-technological tools for analysis (e.g. programs as n-gram). The Library is leading in Europe in regards to both, quality and progress of the digitalization process.