In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), Thomas Kuhn proposed the then revolutionary idea that to understand the nature of scientific truth one has to take account of the historically specific epistemological framework within which scientific thinking takes place. Far from being fixed and transhistorical, this framework – or ‘paradigm’ – is subject to change. In the field of historiography, one finds a similar idea being proposed by Michel Foucault, in the form of the episteme. The interventions of Copernicus, Newton, Darwin and Einstein effected precisely such paradigm shifts. Such shifts are ‘events’ in the strongest sense of the term: before their occurrence, they are quite simply unthinkable – and yet they happen.
Arguably, one of the most significant paradigm shifts – or ‘events’ – to have shaped our present moment is the digital revolution. This revolution has not only radically enhanced the means of communication and the dissemination of knowledge; it has also prompted ongoing thinking of what is to be understood by the ‘virtual’.
Samuel Beckett, page from the manuscript of The Unnamable, Notebook 2 © Estate of Samuel Beckett
In our ‘Digital Archive’ Study Day, taking place at the University of Kent on 8 April, we will consider the implications of the archival object – or ‘material witness’ – having being rendered digital in nature. Taking as our case study a specific literary archive – that of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) – we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of having a digital archive at our disposal. What kind of ‘object’ or ‘thing’ are we dealing with when we engage with a digital manuscript? Is it ontologically different in nature from the so-called material object? Does its existence have hermeneutic implications, changing the way we think about interpreting texts and the creative process? And how does a literary archive impact upon our understanding of a writer’s work more generally? Are there any limits to digitization? What is gained and what is lost in the process? Through an exploration of one particular digital archive – which is very much still in the process of construction, with an anticipated completion date of 2026 – we will consider possible futures for all kinds of archive and new forms of ‘materiality’.
Professor of Comparative Literature
University of Kent