Digital Humanities and the K. Kekelidze Georgian National Center of Manuscripts

Abstract

The recognition of Digital Humanities as a scientific discipline emerged at the K. Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts by the late 20th century. In the early 1990s, a first project in the field of Digital Humanities was initiated − the development of an automated database of Georgian historical documents. The database was designed to facilitate access to these invaluable resources for both Georgian and international scholars while contributing to the broader mission of promoting Georgia’s cultural heritage. In addition to cataloguing and preserving historical documents, the project had a broader, strategic goal, namely, to illustrate the transformative impact of emerging technologies on Humanities research. It aimed to foster a paradigm shift by encouraging scholars to adopt digital tools as integral part of modern research methodologies. Since then, the Institute – later renamed the Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Center of Manuscripts – has continued to lead numerous digitally-based projects supported by the Rustaveli Scientific Foundation and in collaboration with various academic institutions. Some of these initiatives are outlined in the present paper.