Defining a new field can be difficult. There will be some who even argue against classifying as a new field at all. But as digitization becomes a greater force in our lives in general and in academia specifically, understanding digital humanities can be helpful for understanding and predicting new trends.
The simplest definition is that digital humanities is using computer science and digital tools in the humanities. One of the most visible applications of this to us as historians is digitization in the form of the creation of digital archives. One particular digitization project that has begun here at Wayne State is the digitization of rare Michigan maps from the 18th and 19th centuries
Digital humanities can also refer to textual analysis. Think of something like word clouds, where digital tools allow us to analyze the contents of texts of various sizes.
Essentially, what this new 'field' boils down to is using digital tools to further analysis. If you would like a more in-depth examination of what constitutes digital humanities, some videos on the topic can be found here, here, and here.
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