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https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3834/xpreface.pdf
Proceedings of the Computational Humanities
Research Conference 2024: Preface
Wouter Haverals1 , Marijn Koolen2,3 and Laure Thompson1
1
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
2
Huygens Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3
KNAW DHlab, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Computational Humanities Research Conference continues to grow, reflecting the vibrant
expansion of our field. This year, the challenges were all about scale: managing an increasing
number of submissions, handling this increased reviewing load, and finding ways to accept more
papers. We received 144 total submissions in 2024, with 111 of these being paper submissions (an
increase of more than 50% over 2023). To maintain the high standards of our review process, we
increased our pool of reviewers from 94 to 116 dedicated scholars, ensuring that each submission
received two reviews with the majority receiving three. With 96 accepted submissions, which
includes 78 publish papers (36 long, 42 short), this will, again, be the largest CHR to date.
We made several changes to the conference format this year to enhance both the engagement
and scholarly output of our community. Most notably, we introduced workshops as a distinct
submission category. Among the workshops we hosted, the first was “Analysing the Reception
of Fiction Novels Across Languages,” which equipped participants with a comprehensive un-
derstanding of the research workflow for studying reader responses, utilizing book reviews
and online comments as key data sources. The second workshop, “Digital Methods for Mytho-
logical Research,” brought together researchers who are applying digital tools to mythological
studies. The rationale behind incorporating workshops into the conference program was to
provide a focused, collaborative space for researchers to engage with specific topics, benefit from
hands-on experience, and build networks with fellow academics in niche areas of computational
humanities research. These sessions were scheduled for the day prior to the main conference,
thus providing a preamble to the broader conference activities.
In order to enable accepting more papers, we made a large change to poster presentations.
Instead of poster presentations corresponding to accepted non-archival abstracts, they now
correspond to accepted short papers. We did not make this change lightly. Although this reduces
the conference’s presentation of non-archival work, it ensures that the contributions of posters
remain accessible after the conference ends. We want to further stress that a short paper’s
presentation format is not indicative of its quality. Presentation formats were selected based on
author-preference, program constraints, and the suitability of the format.
CHR 2024: Computational Humanities Research Conference, December 4–6, 2024, Aarhus, Denmark
� wouter.haverals@princeton.edu (W. Haverals); marijn.koolen@di.huc.knaw.nl (M. Koolen);
laurejt@princeton.edu (L. Thompson)
� https://whaverals.github.io/ (W. Haverals); https://marijnkoolen.com/ (M. Koolen); https://laurejt.github.io/
(L. Thompson)
� 0000-0002-5687-6787 (W. Haverals); 0000-0002-0301-2029 (M. Koolen); 0000-0001-5752-054X (L. Thompson)
© 2024 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
x
This year’s conference demonstrated–yet again–an impressive expansion in the diversity
of its topics and methodologies, reflecting a growing trend in computational humanities that
goes beyond traditional text analysis. Accepted contributions from authors across 26 countries
underscored a commitment to inclusivity and the exploration of global cultural phenomena.
Notably, the submissions highlighted a move away from predominantly European-centered
studies, but also broadening the scope to include a variety of humanities topics and non-textual
media including audio analysis, image retrieval, film studies, and even shadow puppetry.
Large Language Models (LLMs) emerged as a pivotal theme at the conference, with 27 accepted
submissions addressing this technology. The fascination with LLMs spanned from their potential
to revolutionize data processing capabilities to probing the depths of what these models actually
know and how they are trained. This dual approach underscores a drive within the community
to harness the potential of AI technologies while critically assessing their impacts and ethical
considerations.
The CHR2024 conference was held at Aarhus University, Denmark, from December 4 to 6, 2024.
One of the more complex issues we navigated this year was the university’s policy on Russian
and Belarusian authors. In alignment with all Danish universities, Aarhus University condemns
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and consequently prohibits representatives from Russian and
Belarusian institutions from participating in events. The local organizers at Aarhus University,
specifically Kristoffer Nielbo and Line E. Sørensen, were instrumental in helping us navigate
these challenges. As Programme Chairs, we worked with the Local Organizers to explore
potential solutions to mitigate these restrictions, such as pre-recording presentations from
affected researchers to be played at the conference. Unfortunately, this solution was not
permissible under the university’s current rulings. Consequently, two of the accepted papers
from authors affiliated with Russian institutions are included in these proceedings, as CEUR-WS
does not share the same restrictions, while they were not presented at the conference.
Acknowledgements
The success of the CHR conference hinges on the efforts of numerous individuals who have
contributed their time and expertise. We extend our deepest gratitude to the previous chairs
from 2023, Artjoms el, a, Fotis Jannidis, and Iza Romanowska. Their guidance was invaluable,
providing us with their infinite wisdom and practical strategies to handle the daunting volume
of submissions. Their support was crucial in helping us maintain our sanity and effectiveness
throughout the conference preparation process.
We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the local organizers at Aarhus University.
Kristoffer Nielbo, Line E. Sørensen, and Ross Deans Kristensen-McLachlan played pivotal
roles in every aspect of the conference’s execution, ensuring that everything ran smoothly.
Additionally, our thanks extend to the CHR Executive Board–Melvin Wevers (General Chair),
Alie Lassche (Event Officer), Kristoffer Nielbo (Treasurer), Folgert Karsdorp (Publication Officer),
and Barbara McGillivray (Equity and Inclusion Officer)—for their support and leadership. We
are also grateful to the Best Paper Committee for their discerning judgment.
Our appreciation also extends to the Computational Humanities Research journal for their
sponsorship, and to our partners who provided significant support and resources: Aarhus
University and its Center for Humanities Computing, and DIGHUMLAB.
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Finally, this conference would not be possible without the enthusiastic participation of its
authors and attendees. We are deeply thankful for your contributions and look forward to
continuing our collaborations. Here’s to a future where Computational Humanities Research
continues to thrive and expand.
October 2024
Wouter Haverals, Marijn Koolen & Laure Thompson
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