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From Diderot to Software Bot: The Evolution of Encyclopedias in Historical Study

Chamberlain, Ryan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1674838124870769

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, History.
This dissertation examines the development of encyclopedic authority in historical study from Diderot to software bot. This dissertation focuses on the evolution of encyclopedic authority from Greek scholar to Diderot, and to software bot. It draws upon a wealth of centuries-old publications in digital archives, records of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), original interviews from influential historians, assessment guides of the American Historical Association (AHA), and previously unpublished memos from the AHA Research Division to analyze the observations of historians about encyclopedias, the changing nature of their professional assessments over time, and the emergence of the geographical based encyclopedia of history as an infrastructure for spatial thinking in the digital age. From one perspective, the encyclopedia format has showed remarkable adaptation to changing technologies, as evidenced by the proliferation of digital encyclopedias, which in 2021 were consulted by millions of knowledge seekers daily through their computers, phones, and other smart devices. From another perspective, historical scholars have considered the encyclopedia format as something as an outlier since the creation of the AHA, as evidenced by the history of their professional assessments, and have generally resisted encyclopedia writing and editing as a qualification for faculty tenure. iv I argue that lack of consensus within the academic community over what constitutes quality in the digital age has stifled the production of vetted, scholarly work, in urban encyclopedias to the detriment of the profession, given that Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world and generates popular authority through billions of viewers annually. Public authority has increasingly forced urban encyclopedias to compete with the volume and speed of Wikipedia content updates, which requires no original thought from its contributors. Online urban encyclopedias, which predate Wikipedia, offer a model that can reflect traditional scholarly expertise, but they must increasingly compete with anonymous (and nonhuman) Wikipedia content creators who act with minimal oversight and accountability.
John Grabowski (Advisor)
206 p.
History
gazetteer, digital history, encyclopedia, Internet, david van tassel, American Guide to Historical Literature, software bots, Wikipedia, Geographical, spatial history, urban history, encyclopaedia, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, spatial turn, digital encyclopedias, bots

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Chamberlain, R. (2023). From Diderot to Software Bot: The Evolution of Encyclopedias in Historical Study [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1674838124870769

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chamberlain, Ryan. From Diderot to Software Bot: The Evolution of Encyclopedias in Historical Study. 2023. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1674838124870769.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chamberlain, Ryan. "From Diderot to Software Bot: The Evolution of Encyclopedias in Historical Study." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1674838124870769

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.