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Chapter 6 - You’re Already a Digital Humanist:

Why Aren’t You Thinking Like One?

from Part II - Doing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2024

Tracy C. Davis
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
Paul Rae
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
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Summary

This chapter introduces data-driven research methods for theatre and performance. Drawing on two case studies, the chapter demonstrates how to define and identify data, how to collect and organize it, and how to analyse it through computational methods. Careful attention is paid to the tension between a rigorous data model and the uncertainty and ‘messiness’ present in data’s sources. The conclusion promotes data-driven thinking as a way to expand the context and scope of TaPS analyses and to encourage explicit reflection on the mental categories and models within which we understand performance.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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