Beyond patterns: Using digital methods to find and think about particularities Hieke Huistra and Bram Mellink

1. Beyond patterns
Hieke Huistra (Utrecht University)
Bram Mellink (University of Amsterdam)

2. Translantis
DH approaches to reference cultures

3. “The availability of a large digital data
collection in the National Library of the
Netherlands (KB) enables us for the first
time to study long-term developments and
transformations in these national discourses
in a systematic, longitudinal, and
quantifiable way by using innovative text-
mining tools.”
(Translantis research proposal, 2012)

4. Texcavator

5. “overgewicht AND vetzucht AND zwaarlijvigheid AND obesitas AND vetlijvigheid” in
national and regional newspapers, 1850-1990, advertisements only

6. Nieuwe Tilburgsche
Courant, 1-7-1933
“Our personal scales
are at your disposal
for free at all times.”

7. Boolean queries
PRO
• Easy to use
• Excellent for finding
concrete, specific
entities
CON
• Finding topics / ‘hidden
debates’ is hard

8. Weighting search terms
• enables searching for
topics
• transparent: decisions
can be justified
health
responsibility
risk
insurance
screening
0,9
0,4
0,4
0,6
0,3

9. Thank you!
www.translantis.nl
h.m.huistra@uu.nl
a.g.m.mellink@uva.nl