Historical databases: where are they, what are they like, and what can they tell us? This is the question that will be addressed during a conference scheduled for June 22 and 23 in the Aula Magna of the University of the Republic of San Marino, in the setting of the Ancient Monastery of Santa Chiara, as part of the PhD program in Historical Sciences.
The initiative, titled "From the Source to the Database: For an Economic and Social History of Past Populations," will feature a series of presentations by leading academics in the field from Italy, France, and Sweden. Speakers will include Martin Dribe and Luciana Quaranta of Lund University in Sweden, Francesco Scalone of the University of Bologna, Cyril Grange of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, Anna Marzona of the University of Udine, Pascal Cristofoli of the French École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Marco Breschi of the University of Sassari, and Matteo Manfredini of the University of Parma. Speakers will also include Ercole Sori, director of the Centro Sammarinese di Studi Storici, and the initiative's curators: Michaël Gasperoni of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris and Alessio Fornasin of the University of Udine.
"The conference was created to explore a method of historical and demographic research that has become established in recent years, one that relies on computerized data," explains Fornasin. "We will discuss archive research, how they are organized, and, above all, how to connect multiple sources of information. For example, it's possible to collect data on military conscriptions from a given period to determine the health status of the individuals listed and their origins, then draw maps identifying areas where certain diseases were prevalent. Or it's possible to understand whether people in a certain area were taller or shorter, and whether this influenced their chances of marrying. Most of the archives present date back no earlier than the 19th century, but in some cases they can date back as far as the 17th."
The event is organized in collaboration with the Italian Society of Historical Demography. Admission is free. Conference hours: Thursday from 3:00 PM, Friday from 9:00 AM.