Replication in the Humanities

This online symposium presents a variety of research projects on replication studies in the humanities. In doing so, it aims to share the progress of these studies with a diverse audience of metascience experts.

In the past few years, diverse articles have examined why attempts to replicate studies in biomedical, natural and social sciences often are without success. In the first presentation, Rik Peels will explain how the debates on the so-called ‘replication crisis’ led him to ask the question: What about the humanities? Could replication studies enhance epistemic progress there?

Subsequently, Charlotte Rulkens and Rachel Pear/Hans van Eyghen will present the two case studies that arose from these questions, which are part of the larger Epistemic Progress in the University (2020-2023) project at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In replicating two cornerstone studies in, respectively, the fields of art history and the history of the interaction of science and religion, they aim to explore strengths and limitations of replication studies in the humanities.

Next, an overview of the project Once more, with feeling. Replications in history at Utrecht University is presented. It attempts to make the process of knowledge production in the field of history more transparent by replicating cornerstone studies from three historical subdisciplines.

In the final presentation, Stephanie Meirmans addresses the metascience project Replication in Action – understanding the replication crisis. The case studies mentioned above that are carried out at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, are two of the 26 replication studies that are ethnographically studied in this project. It aims to increase our understanding of the practical and epistemological issues at stake in replication studies.

[galek]

Anyone who has studied the humanities for a considerable length of time will immediately recognize the ridiculousness of the presentations in this video. Many if not all the objections brought up by Rijk hold up to his replies.