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Computational Science of Culture

Computational Human & Social Sciences  Cultural Evolution  Artificial Intelligence  Cultural Analytics  Longue durée 

About

CultureLab (Computational Science of Culture) is a PSL University's a major research program, which seeks to develop new methods and models to study and extract knowledge from the large amounts of existing cultural data (written documents, image corpora, blogs…) in order to gain a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the long-term evolution of cultures and societies. 

 
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Computational approaches in the human and social sciences are no longer seen as a niche interdisciplinary venture: they are an integral part of mainstream research. To make them yield their full potential, greater synergy is needed between their various applications, from data curation to AI-enhanced palæographic restoration, from simulations and modelling to data visualisation, and from textual data to visual culture and music.

Main research axes

Harvesting and annotating large scale cultural datasets (texts, images, …)

  • develop new tools and methods to effectively collect, curate, enrich and store large datasets.

A theory-driven approach to computational humanities and social sciences

  • use computational tools to answer research questions that have been independently derived from theoretical premises.

Inferring historical and social processes from data across multiple timescales

  • develop models and simulations that can replicate historical and social processes based on data extracted from cultural objects.

Social impact of computational analysis of culture and heritage data

  • develop partnerships with private actors (NGOs, start-ups, etc.) concerned with the digitisation, preservation and dissemination of minority or endangered cultural heritage.
  • dissemination results and computational expertise towards policymakers and governmental entities.

Members and partners

The CultureLab Research Porgamme involves several institutions within PSL University, the École nationale des chartes - PSL, the École Normale Supérieure - PSL, the Université Paris Dauphine-PSL, the École pratique des hautes études -  PSL, the Observatoire de Paris - PSL, research structures affiliated to the CNRS as well as three GLAM partners: the Archives nationale de France, the Bibliothèque nationale de France  and the Institut national de l'audiovisuel. 
 

News

Publications

Scientific leaders

Jean-Baptiste Camps

Associate professor, École nationale des chartes - PSL​

Olivier Morin

Researcher, École normale supérieure - PSL

Florian Cafiero

Fellow in AI for the Humanities and Social Sciences, École nationale des chartes - PSL