Historian and Computeres: the databases use (1968-2013)

di Tiago Gil
in Memoria e Ricerca n.s. 50 (2015), p. 161

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between history and computer science over the last 50 years, considering the use of databases. Our focus is on the publications which have dealt on this subject, without analyzing projects that did not have a written and public demonstration. The text accompanies the technical, conceptual and semantic changes which have occurred during the period, paying special attention to the way historians have understood and used the computer. The sample has more than seven hundred texts, including books, chapters and articles published in Europe, America and other countries, in five different languages. The conclusion evaluates the interdisciplinary perspective of historians and criticizes a noticeable lack of reflection on the use of digital tools. Keywords: history and computer science, interdisciplinarity, databases.