This working group brings together researchers from four macrohistory projects examining long-term historical and evolutionary processes to explore common problems and concerns. The focus is on ways to achieve coherence in data coding, format, and archiving so that the datasets created by each project can be accessed and integrated by scholars in the future. One goal of the working group is to consider establishing Seshat: Global History Databank as a central portal for accessing macrohistorical data sets, and to explore possible physical and organizational structures for this archive of linked data. One focus is the Linked Data approach, which develops data structures that allow automatic computer evaluation and categorization so that data can be readily interlinked. Time will be spent discussing other projects, both complete and planned, that might be included in a macrohistory data archive.

Workshop description on the SFI Wiki

Sponsored by the Europe Center of Stanford University and the University of Vienna
Organized by Bernhard Palme, Walter Scheidel and Peer Vries

17:35 – 18:15 Keynote lecture by David Sloan Wilson
18:15 – 19:15 Panel with Robert Frank and Peter Turchin
19:15 – 20:00 Young Researchers’ Challenge
20:30 – 22:30 Reception at the American Ambassador's Residence