Geographical Information Systems (GIS) - either as 'standard' GIS or
custom made Historical GIS (HGIS) - have become quite popular in some
historical sub-disciplines, such as Economic and Social History or
Historical Geography.
'Mainstream' history, however, seems to be rather unaffected by this
trend. Why is it that computer applications in general have failed to
make much headway in history departments, despite the first steps being
undertaken a good forty years ago?
With the 'spatial turn' in full swing in the humanities, and many
historians dealing with spatial and geographical questions, one would
think GIS would be welcomed with open arms. Yet there seems to be no
general anticipation by historians of employing GIS
as a research tool. As mentioned, HGIS are popular chiefly among
Historical Geographers and Social and Economic Historians. The latter
disciplines seem to be predestined to use such software through the
widespread quantitative methodology these disciplines
have employed traditionally. Other historical sub-disciplines, such as
Ancient History, are also very open to this emerging technology since
the scarcity of written sources in this field can be mitigated by
inferences made from an HGIS that has archaeological
data stored in it. In most of Modern History, however, the use of GIS
or its intellectual benefit is rarely seen.
This book investigates and discusses this controversy. Why does the
wider historian community not embrace GIS more readily? While one cannot
deny that the methodologies linked with a GIS follow geographical
paradigms rather than historical ones, the potential
of GIS as a 'killer application' for digital historical scholarship
should be obvious.
This book brings together authors from Geography and History to discuss
the value of GIS for historical research. The focus, however, will not
be on the "how", but on the "why" of GIS in history.