Since the early days of computational text analysis in the 1940s, the digital humanities has been a space designed for cross and interdisciplinary work. From using digital tools and software to enhance research across the humanities, to using them to create new kinds of research in those same fields, the digital humanities has long been at the forefront of new and exciting research. 

In the last few years, the digital humanities has grappled with the ever increasing capabilities of technology, the questioning of the academy’s role in the modern world, and confusion and distrust with regards to the use of AI. However, as ever before, the humanities have he capacity to mediate culture for analysis, and the digital humanities, regardless of the power of its new tools, has the same capacity for both outward facing research as well as internal critical analysis.

This call for papers seeks articles that take a strong stance for the digital humanities and advocates for their role in the academy. We seek papers that present research using or analysis of DH tools that enable new kinds of research and new ways of doing humanities research. Though critical analysis of these tools is always welcome and indeed necessary, in particular we seek articles that present hopeful and exciting ways that the digital humanities can be used to enhance research.

Possible topics for exploration include but are not limited to:

• Innovations in computational text analysis in the humanities
• Reflections on the use and misuse of AI in DH
• The use of digital tools in critical museology, including database driven research
• Digital humanities and pedagogy - using digital tools to teach
• Using digital archives to enhance research
• Digital Histories: transmedia evolution of the field exploring evolving programs, practices, and technologies digital in different intersections
• Digital humanities tools in film studies analysis, and the progression of representation of digital communication in media in 21st century
• Reflections on or critical analysis of current digital humanities projects
• Questions of access and democratizing the digital humanities - exploring DH projects that intersect with queer studies, critical race studies, and more
• The publishing field in the digital age
• Analysis of interactive and hypertext fiction
• Who is all this for: Digital Humanities in Theory and Practice (questions of process, data collection, management, selection; sustainability in the field)

We are seeking articles of 5000-7000 words for publication in the next issue of Scaffold: the Journal for the Institute of Comparative Studies of Literature, Art, and Culture, an open-access graduate student journal. Articles will be double-blind, peer-reviewed, and published digitally through OJS. More information can be found here: https://ojs.library.carleton.ca/index.php/J-ICSLAC/index 

Though the primary submissions for Scaffold are papers subject to double blind peer review, we also encourage submissions reflecting on and presenting Digital Humanities projects that will be subject to editor review.

Please email proposals of approximately 300-500 words to scaffoldjournal@gmail.com, including a brief author bio, by May 5th 2025. Accepted authors will be informed by the end of May, with full articles due for review by the end of July 2025.