Whose digital Middle Ages? Accessibility in digital medieval manuscript culture

This essay examines why online availability should not be conflated with accessibility in discussions of the digital humanities and medieval studies. Expert-oriented projects and discussions of the digital humanities in medieval Iberian studies tend to get lost in collation. These projects lose sight of the promises of democratization and accessibility that the digital humanities community values in favor of the traditional demands of philology.

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This essay discusses why online availability should not be conflated with accessibility in discussions of the digital humanities and medieval studies. Expert-oriented digital humanities projects and discussions of medieval Iberian studies often lose sight of the promises of democratization and accessibility valued by the digital humanities community, in favor of traditional philological demands.