International Conference
Data ethics for historical research in a digital era
Mainz,10-12 November 2025
International Conference
Mainz,10-12 November 2025
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:
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.
13:00 Arrival, Registration
14:00 Johannes Paulmann (Leibniz Institute of European History Mainz), Welcoming words
14:10 Sofia Baroncini, Constanze Buyken, Elena Suárez Cronauer, Data Ethics for historical research in a digital era – an introduction
Chair: John Carter Wood
14:30 Manjusha Kuruppath, Dung Phám, Juliette Huijgen, Liberating Labels. Decolonizing Language Use in Historical Collection Management and Data Contextualization
15:10 Samuel Uwem Umoh, Decolonize, Indigenize and South Africa Indigenous Data
15:50 Eva Ommert, Kathleen Schlütter, Challenges in Data Ethics for Area Historians
16:30 Coffee break
16:50 Sarah Lang, Documenting data gaps as an opportunity for historical research
17:30 Ian Kisil Marino, Comment
17:40 Session discussion
18:00 Break
18:15 Piano Concert with Jennifer Klein (Kalkhof-Rose-Saal)
Kerstin Herlt works as an EU project coordinator at the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (German Film Institute & Film Museum). The focus of these projects is to improve access to and reuse of film heritage data, as well as to develop innovative tools for managing this data. Recently, she coordinated the EU-funded project DE-BIAS, which takes an AI-driven approach to identifying harmful language in archival collection descriptions. She holds a Master's degree in Romance Studies, Sociology and European Media Studies.
The DE-BIAS project has developed an AI-powered tool to automatically detect and contextualize outdated or discriminatory terms in metadata of cultural heritage collections—drawing on a vocabulary co-created with minoritized communities across themes like migration, gender, and ethnicity. It enables cultural heritage institutions to identify problematic language and receive suggestions for respectful, contemporary alternatives. The DE-BIAS approach supports capacity building through community engagement, workshops, and a published methodology to help cultural institutions embed inclusive cataloging practices.
It is possible to attend the conference on-site or online. Please use the link provided to register at the conference 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
The conference will be held at the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz.
Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 2, D-55131 Mainz
Click here for further directions.
Information about accommodation had been sent to the speakers by email
The conference proceedings will be published as an open-access edited volume. Authors of selected presentations will be invited to submit a full paper (maximum 45,000 characters incl. spaces, including footnotes but excluding the bibliography) within three months after the conference. Submitted papers will undergo a peer-review and editorial process to ensure high-quality contributions. Additional details regarding publication and formatting guidelines will be provided to authors following the conference.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have at digital@ieg-mainz.de
