Meta-scholarship in Digital Humanities has largely focused on defining the field and what counts as a DH program, project, or tool. However, spurred in part by Alan Liu’s 2011 MLA presentation and 2012 article, “Where is Cultural Criticism in the Digital Humanities?” recent studies of the field have sought to identify the qualities of digital humanists themselves as well as to propose how they should interact with larger or external cultures, such as those of science technology, and business. Attention is now being given to the roles of race, gender, class, and place in DH. Given the geographical distribution of higher-ed institutions across the nation, most American DH programs are based in college towns rather than major metropolitan areas. This session asks, how might DH programs and/or projects involving students at urban colleges or universities reflect big-city cultures, concerns, and/or communities? Are digital methods well suited for projects that take cities, ongoing projects in their own right, as subject matter? Can digital pedagogy increase civic engagement and/or enhance fieldwork for students living in or near major cities?
