12 Dec

Occupation, socioeconomic status, and dissidence in medieval Bologna revisited by Katia Riccardo, David Zbíral, and Zoltán Brys

In yet another article using the inquisition register from Bologna, MUNI authors published new insights into the occupation and socioeconomic status of religious dissidents.

25 Nov

Tereza Menšíková and Jana Kendíková received the Dean's award

Tereza and Jana were recognized by the Dean's award for their PhD and BA theses.

14 Nov

Historical lists of ‘heretical sects’ reveal a new perspective on the history of Moravian Anabaptism

Jana Valtrová, Andrea Štěpánková, and Jakub Cigán, in an article published in the journal Religio, analyze contemporary sources that classify Anabaptist groups in Moravia in the 16th and 17th centuries. The study uncovers the discourses of the individual authors and at the same time points to a greater and longer-lasting diversity of Anabaptist groups than previously assumed.

11 Nov

Tereza Menšíková received the Vice-Rector’s Award for Excellent Results in Doctoral Studies at Masaryk University

Tereza was awarded for her dissertation, in which she studied how Dalits, members of the anti-caste movement in India, utilize digital media to expand their reach and mobilize for social change. Tereza's supervisor, Jana Valtrová, and consultant, Tomáš Glomb, also received the award 

10 Nov

Estimated Costs and Benefits of Extreme Rituals in Mauritius

Why do people willingly engage in painful or exhausting rituals with no obvious material reward? 

4 Oct

DISSINET publishes a transcription of the inquisition register of John Galand and William of Saint-Seine, 1283–1302

As part of DISSINET's corpus work, we have procured a transcription of the hitherto unpublished register of John Galand and William of Saint-Seine, 1283–1302, that we have made available in the Zenodo repository.

3 Oct

Extracting data from historical texts using Large Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) hold significant promise for extracting information from historical texts. If used appropriately, they can speed up the research process, compensating for resource limitations and helping researchers achieve ambitious objectives in quantitative cultural history.

3 Oct

DISSINET during summer 2025: conferences, workshops, and success at a competition on detecting hate speech

This summer, DISSINET team members attended five international conferences and two summer schools, showcasing the diversity of our research efforts and motivation to learn and apply new methodologies.

25 Sep

Gods on the barge

On the occasion of launching the course Religious Phenomena in Computational Modelling, we remind a strategy game inspired by cutting-edge research of Tomas Glomb and Adam Mertel. Based on the GEHIR project’s computer modelling of the spread of Egyptian cults, the game challenges players to test how ancient religions could conquer the Mediterranean and to outsmart rival deities such as Isis, Serapis, Anubis or Bastet.

2 Jul

Tereza Menšíková is now a PhD

On June 9, Tereza Menšíková has successfully defended her thesis Digital Mobilization: Ambedkarite Buddhism and Discourses of Change in Contemporary Anti-Caste Online Activism summa cum laude.

26 Jun

LEVYNA conducted field research in Mauritius

23 Jun

Medieval anti-heretical hate speech: Funded Ph.D. opportunity, deadline 31 July 2025

DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies focusing on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Send us a preliminary research proposal by 31 July 2025.

2 Jun

DISSINET publishes most comprehensive statement of its research agenda

The article recently published in Acta Historica Tallinnensia argues for the importance of integrating digital history methods with source criticism and highlights DISSINET's contributions to this field.

16 May

DISSINET Data on Witchcraft Trials featured on Aktuálně.cz

Our comprehensive dataset of witchcraft trials in Czech lands has been utilised by the popular online publication Aktuálně.cz to create a new map.

9 Apr

CEDRR now uses Bluesky as the primary social media platform

CEDRR has joined the Digital Humanities community on Bluesky to connect with international scholars and share innovative research.

1 Apr

Medieval anti-heretical hate speech: Support in submitting a Marie Skłodowska Curie postdoc application (MSCA-PF)

DISSINET is searching for Ph.D. graduates inerested in applying for a post-doc position focusing on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Send us a preliminary research proposal by 15 April 2025.