Digital Arts and Humanities - Journal Articles

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Negotiating national identity on film: competing readings of Zhang Yimou’s 'Hero'
(Taylor & Francis, 2007) de la Garza, Armida
How are national identities transformed? If they are mostly narratives of belonging to a community of history and destiny to which people subscribe, those boundary-making procedures that constitute the political field by instituting differences can provide a tentative answer to this question. This paper is concerned with one such cultural practice, namely film-viewing. Globalisation, a boundary-blurring practice, has been the backdrop against which transformations in national identity are often discussed, either bemoaned as cultural imperialism or celebrated as ongoing hybridisation. This piece of research took Zhang Yimou’s controversial film Hero as a point of departure, and asked groups of Chinese audiences how they understood the Chinese identity it conveys. Although it is still a work in progress, provisional results are reported below.
Chicano identity and discourses of supplementarity on Mexican cinema: from ‘The Man Without a Fatherland’ (Contreras Torres: 1922) to ‘Under the Same Moon’ (Riggen: 2008)
(Latin American Centre, University of Aarhus (LACUA), 2009-01-01) de la Garza, Armida
A radical change took place in Mexican narratives of belonging during the 1990s, when NAFTA was first negotiated. Narratives of migration drastically changed the status of Mexican migrants to the US, formerly derided as ‘pochos’, presenting them as model citizens instead. Following Derrida, I argue the role of the migrant became that of a supplement, which is, discursively, at the same time external to and part of a given unit, standing for and allowing deeper transformations to take place in the whole discourse of bilateral relations and national identity more generally. I use Derrida’s concept of the supplement to discuss changing representations of Chicanos in Mexican cinema, and to assess the extent that they have succeeded in reframing the discourse on national identity, with a focus on gender.
Diversity, difference and nation: indigenous peoples on screen in Mexico
(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2010-11) de la Garza, Armida
This paper draws on constructivist theories of identity that regard the self as, paradoxically, coming into existence through interaction with the other, to investigate the discursive formation of indigenous people in the forging of Mexican national identity. The aim of the essay is to show how difference has been managed and deployed in the establishment of national Mexican identities from independence until the present. This is done with reference to visual culture and film and illustrated with examples from the ‘Golden Age’ as well as ‘the New Mexican Cinema’.
Finn’s Hotel and the Joycean Canon
(University of Antwerp, 2014-01) O'Sullivan, James; Higher Education Authority
Remembering John Huston, transnational filmmaker
(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2014-02-20) de la Garza, Armida; Gil Curiel, Germán
Time and technology in Orlando
(Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2014-03-28) O'Sullivan, James
Technologies of time are central to Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, symbolism that is equally present in Sally Potter’s film adaptation of the novel. Both Woolf and Potter advance narratives that detail a journey through time, achieved through an exploration of external devices, all of which serve to embody the self, and resolve it with the surrounding environment. In this paper, the concept of external devices, specifically in relation to technologies of time, as examined in both Woolf’s novel and Potter’s adaptation, will be analysed thematically. This paper will begin with a delineation of social and cultural theories relevant to this discourse, before offering theoretically-informed criticism of the aforementioned works.
The new apparatus of influence: Material modernism in the digital age
(Edinburgh University Press, 2014-10) O'Sullivan, James
Throughout this paper, I argue for a reapplication of those theories set out by George Bornstein in Material Modernism. More specifically, I suggest that Bornstein's work should be considered in the context of the textual and literary constructs of the digital age. I begin with an account of those elements from Bornstein's argument that I consider to be of most relevance to this particular discourse, giving particular consideration to what he refers to as the ‘bibliographic code.’ I argue that this notion has gathered fresh momentum now that its potential has been enhanced through new forms of computer-based media. What the material modernists of the modernist movement sought to achieve with the material elements of their works, contemporary scholars and critics can seek to replicate and explore with greater clarity and creativity. The bibliographic code has gained new importance, as the degree by which it can be manipulated, I argue, has been extended significantly.
Visualizing a spatial archive: GIS, digital humanities, and relational space
(Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, 2015-10-07) Foley, Ronan; Murphy, Rachel
Geography matters! In any reading of literature or history, paper or digital, our imaginations are often invoked through a spatial sense. In a country where the importance of dinnseanchas, or “place lore,” remains a significant contemporary component, a reading of place regularly features across the multiple strands of Irish Studies.[1] From Heaney’s poetry to the novels of Sebastian Barry, place and a sense of place are ever-present in how stories and literary ideas are presented, received, and interpreted.[2] History too, in its archives and methods of study, has always happened somewhere and in that sense has always been explicitly emplaced. Given the broad theme of this issue—querying whether Digital Humanities offers better ways of realizing traditional Humanities goals or has the capacity to change understandings of Humanities goals altogether—it is useful to consider this question empirically against the increase in new digital forms of spatial information.[3]
The emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland
(Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2015-10-07) O'Sullivan, James; Murphy, Órla; Day, Shawn
Tracing the emergence of academic disciplines in a national context is a useful undertaking, as it goes beyond the definition of a field to an assessment of its evolution within a more specific cultural context. This is particularly the case in the Digital Humanities, where the infrastructural requirements are such that the development of the field is strongly connected to social and economic trends. This paper outlines the emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland, detailing the history and key milestones of the field’s development, while delineating those particularities that are culturally significant in contrast with the global picture
Collapsing generation and reception: Holes as electronic literary impermanence
(North Carolina State University, 2016-01) Allen, Graham; O'Sullivan, James
This essay discusses Holes, a ten syllable one-line-per-day work of digital poetry that is written by Graham Allen, and published by James O’Sullivan’s New Binary Press. The authors, through their involvement with the piece, explore how such iterative works challenge literary notions of fixity. Using Holes as representative of “organic” database literature, the play between electronic literature, origins, autobiography, and the edition are explored. A description of Holes is provided for the benefit of readers, before the literary consequences of such works are examined, using deconstruction as the critical framework. After the initial outline of the poem, the discussion is largely centred around Derrida’s deconstruction of “the centre”. Finally, the literary database as art is re-evaluated, drawing parallels between e-lit, the absence of the centre, and the idea of the “deconstructive poem”.
Culture, communication and cross-media arts studies: transnational cinema scholarship perspectives
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2016-10-03) Tomaselli, Keyan G.; Jun, Zeng; de la Garza, Armida
Film policy under globalization: the case of Mexico
(Taylor and Francis, 2016-10-17) de la Garza, Armida
The changing economic and technological conditions often referred to as ‘globalization’ have had a deep impact on the very nature of the state, and thus on the aims, objectives and implementation of cultural policy, including film policy. In this paper, I discuss the main changes in film policy there have been in Mexico, comparing the time when the welfare state regarded cinema as crucial to the national identity, and actively supported the national cinema at the production, distribution and exhibition levels (about 1920-1980), and the recent onset of neoliberal policies, during which the industry was privatized and globalized. I argue the result has been a transformation of the film production, from the properly ‘national’ cinema it was during the welfare state—that is, having a role in nation building, democratization processes and being an important part of the public sphere—into a kind of genre, catering for a very small niche audience both domestically and internationally. However, exhibition and digital distribution have been strengthened, perhaps pointing towards a more meaningful post-national cinema.
Structure over style: collaborative authorship and the revival of literary capitalism
(Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, 2017) Fuller, Simon; O'Sullivan, James; Higher Education Authority; Irish Research Council
James Patterson is the world’s best-selling living author, but his approach to writing is heavily criticised for being too commercially driven — in many respects, he is considered the master of the airport novel, a highly-productive source of commuter fiction. A former marketing professional, Patterson uses his business acumen to drive sales of his novels, which are largely written in conjunction with lesser-known co-authors. Using stylometry, this paper analyses the extent to which Patterson actually contributes to the writing of his novels, situating his process within the context of literary capitalism and the novel as a force of modernity.
"The Dream of an Island": Dear Esther and the digital sublime
(Paradoxa, 2017) O'Sullivan, James; Ensslin, Astrid; Frelik, Pawel; Swanstrom, Lisa
Why you don't need to write much to be the world's bestselling author
(The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited, 2017-04) O'Sullivan, James
The limits of distinctive words: Re-evaluating literature’s gender marker debate
(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2017-04-06) Weidman, Sean G.; O'Sullivan, James
The ongoing dispute in literary studies concerned with gender and writing style is wide and varied. Our preliminary analyses lend evidence to the claims that such gender differences are evident in writing across periods. While we follow in the methodological footsteps of such studies, particular those completed by Hoover (Textual analysis. In Price, K. M. and Siemens, R. (eds), Literary Studies in the Digital Age. Modern Language Association of America, 2013) and Rybicki (2016), we have shifted the focus of our investigation away from style, in the macro-analytical sense, to period and its relation to gender-differentiable terminology. Doing so recognizes the limitations of approaches like Zeta and Delta, while simultaneously benefiting from their affordances. Accepting that one can never have too large or robust a data set for this type of macro-analytic case study, we attempt to build on the foundations set down by Hoover and Rybicki, analyzing gender markers across a selection of male and female authors, and doing so crucially with a concern for the evolution of gender markers over specified canonical literary periods.
Reactions to imagery generated using computational aesthetic measures
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (MIT Press), 2017-10-02) Gade, Prasad; Galvin, Mary; O'Sullivan, James; Walsh, Paul; Murphy, Órla
This article examines whether textural generation system imagery evolved with computational aesthetic support can be judged as having aesthetic attributes, both when knowing and not knowing its true origin. Such a generation, depicting a digital landscape, is offered to two groups of participants to appraise. It is hypothesized that there will be no statistically significant difference between the groups on their appraisal of the image. Results from statistical analysis prove to be consistent with this hypothesis. A minority of participants, however, do exhibit significant differences in their perception of the image based on its means of production. This article explores and illustrates these differences.
A tale of two internships: developing digital skills through engaged scholarship
(The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, 2017-10-11) Hswe, Patricia; LaLonde, Tara; Miffitt, Kate; O'Sullivan, James; Pickle, Sarah; Piekielek, Nathan; Ross, Heather; Rozo, Albert; Donald W. Hamer and Marie Bednar, United States
This paper offers a case study of two contrasting digital scholarship internships at The Pennsylvania State University. We explore the benefits and drawbacks of the internship model as an approach to developing digital scholarship among undergraduates through detailing the challenges and particularities of these experiences and analyzing mentor reflection and student feedback. We conclude with a number of recommendations on best practices for teaching digital scholarship through an internship model and aim to provide a useful roadmap for institutions looking to follow a similar model for undergraduate education in this field.
Computing differences in language between male and female authors
(RTÉ Brainstorm, 2017-10-19) O'Sullivan, James; Carroll, Jim
A number of studies have looked at differences in language between genders in literature, but what can computers really tell us about this?
Electronic literature's contemporary moment: Breeze and Campbell's "All the Delicate Duplicates"
(Los Angeles Review of Books, 2017-11-07) O'Sullivan, James
A review of All the Delicate Duplicates by Mez Breeze and Andy Campbell.

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