Writing, Sources and Proof in Digital History: Current Problems and Challenges

Abstract

In line with the hypothesis of Roger Chartier about the “revolution” implied in the emergence of digital text, this article analyzes some problems and challenges facing digital history at three different levels. First, at the level of the text, we can observe profound changes in the authority system that sustains academic text in the digital environment. Second, at the level of the arguments and proofs within the text, we can see the emergence of new proof-techniques. Third, some key issues on the integrity of the digital text as a source emerge at the level of the text’s properties. The debate about these issues reveals the need for the historian to engage in a methodological dialogue with archivists, librarians and computer experts.