Zeichentheoretische Ansätze in den Digitalen Geisteswissenschaften

Abstract

This introduction to the thematic issue “Semiotics as a Theory of the Digital Humanities” points to the challenges that are connected with the status of the digital humanities in relation to the humanities in general. The digital humanities cannot be reduced to technological and methodological innovations, because this would overlook the increasing influence they exert on the range of investigated phenomena and the theoretical underpinnings of the humanities. It is argued that semiotics, as an interdis­ciplinary approach that addresses the common foundations of all the humanities, can help to tackle these open questions. At the end of the introduction, each contribution of the issue is presented.