About

The use of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science techniques are becoming increasingly pervasive in daily life and research activities, attracting many scholars to adopt them in historically oriented research with promising results. However, neither data nor computational techniques are neutral tools. Historical archives and datasets are themselves the products of selective curation reflecting underlying biases and power dynamics of the context of their creation and collection as well as inequities in access, infrastructure, and perspective. The datafication of historical sources risks to amplify these issues, introducing further challenges related to taxonomy, categorization, and conceptualization.
This may lead, if not countered, to the standardisation of diverse historical experiences into rigid categories, further entrenching existing biases as well as the under-representation of marginalized genders, cultures, social groups and identities, thus erasing pluralities in historical narratives. Since archives and data repositories in Europe often originated within imperial or colonial frameworks, shaping both the content and the perspective of the historical records they contain, these challenges are especially prevalent within European historical research and demand specific attention and ethical responsibilities.

Ethical concerns arise at every stage of the data lifecycle, from collection to dissemination, and it is necessary to consider them carefully in order to guarantee the fair, equal and non-discriminatory treatment of sensitive data. These challenges create the need for a critical reflection on the ethical implications of the handling of data and technologies in historical research and for actionable solutions.

While data ethics, ethical AI, and critiques of data colonialism practices are widely discussed within the data and computer science communities, historical researchers have engaged with these issues more sparingly. A cross-disciplinary dialogue, focused on the unique challenges and needs within historical research, is therefore essential. In particular, there is an urgent need for collaborative efforts to define, seek, and implement shared ethical guidelines and solutions.

This conference seeks to examine the ethical dimensions of data usage within historical research, fostering discussions among scholars that provide practical tools and strategies to navigate these challenges. Thus, the objectives of the conference are:

• raising awareness in historical research of the ethical components of data use and data-driven research
• fostering dialogue among researchers who encounter ethical issues in their work
• increasing knowledge of strategies and best practices for ethical data use and enable participants to share their experiences, strategies and tools to address ethical issues in historical research.

To allow a worldwide participation, the language of the conference will be English. The conference will be an hybrid event, although the physical attendance of presenters will be preferred.

Registration

It is possible to attend the conference on-site or online. Registration for the conference is required in both cases. It is also possible to attend the keynote presentation only.

Please note: the registration deadline for the on-site participation is the 3rd of November 2025.

Concept and organisation

Sofia Baroncini, Constanze Buyken, Elena Suárez Cronauer