Research

The Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen (WAB) is engaged in a number of research projects and activities.

On the local plan, WAB is central to the University of Bergen Wittgenstein Research Group and the AKSIS (since 2009 "Uni Digital") Text Technology Group. The Text Technology Group participates with WAB in the international projects Tracing Wittgenstein and Using XML to generate research tools for Wittgenstein scholars by collaborative groupwork, combining research in philosophy, XML and collaborative groupworking. Preliminary results from the first include an interlinked Wittgenstein primary and commentary resource, Wittgenstein MS115 in APE, while results from the second include the multimedia resource Wittgenstein MS101 from September 1914. Along with «Wittgenstein MS101 from September 1914», WAB offers an interface for user-driven text display of TEI guided XML files (WAB XML transformation).

WAB's resources are used in a number of externally defined projects and contexts. One such context is the GABEK environment (see Josef Zelger: Argumentationsstrukturen in Wittgenstein-Nachlass MS 115). Although externally defined, many of these projects are carried out on location at WAB (see Guests & visitors). The WAB users projects site includes user project abstracts.

XML and TEI are key-issues for WAB's participation in text technology. WAB is engaged in transferring its MECS/MECS-WIT machine-readable version of the Wittgenstein Nachlass into a TEI guided XML-version. The machine-readable version provides the basis for «Wittgenstein's Nachlass: The Bergen Electronic Edition» (BEE) which is maintained by WAB and being developed further towards a revised edition, always on the basis of the principal machine-readable version. In addition, WAB maintains high quality Photo CD facsimiles of Wittgenstein's Nachlass (about 200,000 files). These high quality facsimiles are preserved at WAB, while compressed versions of them are included in BEE.

In December 2001, WAB organized, in cooperation with the HIT-Centre and the Bergen Philosophy Department, an international Wittgenstein conference which reflected on 50 years of Wittgenstein research and new forms of electronic publishing and networking in the context of Wittgenstein scholarship. A collection of papers from this conference and additional papers are published in WAB's Working Papers.

In the framework of the European Community's 5th Framework subprogramme «Access to European Research Infrastructures», WAB has, over a period of 2,5 years, hosted more than 30 European philosophy, editorial philology and applied information technology projects (EU ARI WAB). Under EU ARI WAB, a total of 1000 «user days» were spent at WAB, funded by the European Union. In addition, WAB continues the tradition of receiving scholars and students supported by other funding. A list of all visitors and respective projects is available from the Guests & visitors site.

International research activities include participation in and/or coordination of a number of international research and development proposals and projects, typically addressing issues crucial to Wittgenstein research or the humanities and their significance for IT and IST developments more generally. Go to a list of all research projects in which WAB actively participates.

Last change: 2005.8.2 by ap