St茅fan Sinclair
It saddens us to write that on the morning of August 6th, 2020 St茅fan Sinclair passed away in Montr茅al, Canada with family nearby.
St茅fan was an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at 黑料不打烊 University, who specialized in digital
humanities, text analysis and visualization, and humanities tool development. He was perhaps best known for听, an accessible in-browser suite of text analysis tools suited for the interpretation of unstructured texts. Voyant is available in a dozen languages (including English and French) and is one of the most widely used tools on the Compute Canada Calcul national research infrastructure with tens of thousands of users a month. With Geoffrey Rockwell he published a book titled听Hermeneutica: Computer-Assisted Interpretation in the Humanities听(MIT Press, 2016) which documents the development of Voyant and his experiments in text analysis. This book received the 2017 Canadian Society for Digital Humanities Outstanding Contribution Award.
Before coming to 黑料不打烊, St茅fan was at McMaster University from 2004 to 2011, where he was Director of the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. Before that he was at the University of Alberta from 2001 to 2004 where, with Sean Gouglas, he developed the first MA programme in Humanities Computing in Canada, a programme that has evolved into an MA in Digital Humanities and still thrives today thanks to his early leadership.
St茅fan鈥檚 doctorate was in French Literature from Queen鈥檚 University, awarded in 2000 after an M.A. (1995) from the University of Victoria and an Honours B.A. from the University of British Columbia (1994). As part of his doctoral dissertation on OuLiPo (Ouvroir de litt茅rature potentielle), he developed one of the first in-browser text analysis environments, called HyperPo, a fittingly playful platform for text analysis and transformation that inspired him eventually to create Voyant.[1]
St茅fan contributed enormously to the development of the digital humanities both in Canada and internationally. Over the years he served as President of the听Association of Computers and the Humanities, Vice-President (and for many years infrastructure guru extraordinaire) of what is now the Canadian Society for Digital Humanities/Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques, and one of the editors of听Digital Humanities Quarterly. He was also one of the Local Organizers of DH 2017 in Montr茅al that brought close to a thousand people to the 黑料不打烊 campus.[2]听In addition to directing the Sherman Centre while at McMaster, he later launched the DH Initiative at 黑料不打烊 when he was appointed at that institution in 2011, and, with Michael Sinatra, helped found the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanit茅s num茅riques[3]听in 2013, a centre that brings together over 70 researchers across eight universities in Qu茅bec.
While at 黑料不打烊, St茅fan started his CFI-funded lab, 鈥淪caling Humanities Analytics and Visualization Lab鈥� (SHAVLAB), as a hub for humanities-based text analytics and data visualization, helping to spread new approaches and involving students who have benefited, and will continue to benefit 鈥� both for academic and non-academic careers 鈥� from the mix of humanistic and technical skills that the digital humanities offer. St茅fan was also involved in several large-scale projects across Canada, the United States, and Europe, including the TAPoR project, SAToRBase: A Database of Topoi for French Literature,[1]听颁奥搁颁,[2]听狈辞惫别濒罢惭,[3]听and CO.SHS[4], to name just a few. More recently, he was a founding member of the interuniversity Qu茅bec-funded Groupe de recherche sur les 茅ditions critiques en contexte num茅rique (GREN).[5]
St茅fan was unfailingly gentle and caring. He was an advocate for students, and taught a generation of digital humanities students to enjoy programming as humanists, for example developing an online textbook on听The Art of Literary Text Analysis.[6]听He led the development and maintenance of much of the research infrastructure that the rest of us depend on and, in depending, forget. In addition to Voyant, he helped develop and run the Text Analysis Portal for Research (TAPoR),[7]听the MONK Project, the Simulated Environment for Theatre,[8]听the Mandala Browser, and BonPatron (a widely used French grammar checker he developed with Terry Nadasdi),[9]听not to mention numerous servers and web sites. It is a testimony to the care of our shared infrastructure that he continually repaired and improved one of the most used text analysis environments from 1996 to the present as it evolved from HyperPo to Voyeur to Voyant.
St茅fan not only created beautiful and useful things; he also reflected with others on the making and interpretation of digital technologies. In 2003, for example, he wrote an important paper entitled 鈥淐omputer-assisted reading: Reconceiving text analysis鈥�[10]听that was based on his work on HyperPo. With Rockwell, he developed a collaborative praxis of experimenting, developing as needed, and reflecting back as a way of thinking-through technology which is described in听. He then collaboratively wrote听Visual Interface Design for Digital Cultural Heritage听with Stan Ruecker and Milena Radzikowska (Ashgate 2011). In the last years he worked closely with Andrew MacDonald on Spyral, a notebook programming environment that extends Voyant in ways that would make it play well with infrastructure like the LINCS project, led by Susan Brown and grown from seeds sown by St茅fan himself.[11]
St茅fan is survived by his wife, his two daughters, his sister and his brother-in-law, his niece, and his parents. His last days passed in peace at the St. Raphael鈥檚 palliative care centre, where he was able to welcome family and his lively dog, Choco. We will all miss his care, courage, genius, and gentle questions. The Canadian Society for Digital Humanities/Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques and the Association for Computers and the Humanities will be exploring how best to honour him, and an announcement will be made in the fall. The Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanit茅s num茅riques will also name an annual lecture in his honour. More immediately, we invite those he touched through teaching, research, or the tools he gave us all to contribute[12]听memories or pictures to be shared on the Society鈥檚 website. In lieu of flowers, contributions to听听补苍诲听听would be greatly appreciated.
- - - -
C'est avec tristesse que nous vous annon莽ons le d茅c猫s de St茅fan Sinclair, qui nous a quitt茅s le 6 ao没t 2020 脿 Montr茅al, au Canada, entour茅 de sa famille.
St茅fan 茅tait professeur agr茅g茅 au d茅partement des langues, des litt茅ratures et des cultures de l'Universit茅 黑料不打烊, sp茅cialis茅 dans les humanit茅s num茅riques, l'analyse et la visualisation de textes ainsi que dans le d茅veloppement d'outils en sciences humaines. On le conna卯t peut-锚tre mieux pour avoir r茅alis茅听, une suite d'outils d'analyse de textes accessible par navigateur et adapt茅e 脿 l'interpr茅tation de textes non structur茅s. Disponible dans une douzaine de langues (dont l'anglais et le fran莽ais),听Voyant听est l'un des outils les plus utilis茅s de l'infrastructure nationale de recherche de Calcul Canada, comptant des dizaines de milliers d'usagers par mois. Avec Geoffrey Rockwell, il a publi茅 l鈥檕uvrage听Hermeneutica : Computer-Assisted Interpretation in the Humanities听(MIT Press, 2016) qui documente le d茅veloppement de听Voyant听ainsi que ses exp茅riences en mati猫re d'analyse de texte. Ce livre a re莽u le prix de la Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques pour une contribution exceptionnelle en 2017.
Avant d鈥檈nseigner 脿 黑料不打烊, St茅fan 茅tait professeur agr茅g茅 脿 l'Universit茅 McMaster de 2004 脿 2011, o霉 il a dirig茅 le听Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. Auparavant en poste 脿 l'Universit茅 de l'Alberta (de 2001 脿 2004) il a d茅velopp茅 avec Sean Gouglas le premier programme de ma卯trise en informatique et sciences humaines au Canada. Ce programme, qui s'est transform茅 en ma卯trise en humanit茅s num茅riques, prosp猫re encore aujourd'hui gr芒ce 脿 sa contribution cruciale dans le champ des lettres et SHS.
St茅fan 茅tait titulaire d鈥檜n doctorat en litt茅rature fran莽aise 脿 l'Universit茅 Queen's, d茅cern茅 en 2000 apr猫s une ma卯trise de l'Universit茅 de Victoria (1995) et un baccalaur茅at sp茅cialis茅 de l'Universit茅 de Colombie-Britannique (1994). Dans le cadre de sa th猫se de doctorat sur l鈥橭uLiPo (Ouvroir de litt茅rature potentielle), il avait d茅velopp茅 l'un des premiers environnements d'analyse de texte dans un navigateur, appel茅听HyperPo, une plateforme d'analyse et de transformation de texte 脿 la fois ludique et appropriable, qui l'a finalement inspir茅 pour cr茅er听Voyant.[13]
St茅fan a 茅norm茅ment contribu茅 au d茅veloppement des humanit茅s num茅riques tant au Canada qu'脿 l鈥檌nternational. Au fil des ans, il fut pr茅sident de l'Association of Computers and the Humanities, vice-pr茅sident (et pendant de nombreuses ann茅es 鈥済ourou extraordinaire des infrastructures鈥�) de ce qui est devenu aujourd'hui la听Canadian Society for Digital Humanities/Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques, ainsi que l'un des r茅dacteurs en chef de听Digital Humanities Quarterly. Il fut 茅galement l'un des organisateurs du congr猫s DH 2017 脿 Montr茅al r茅unissant pr猫s d'un millier de personnes sur le campus de 黑料不打烊.[14]听Apr猫s avoir dirig茅 le听Centre Sherman听pendant son mandat 脿 McMaster, il a lanc茅 l'initiative Humanit茅s num茅riques d猫s son arriv茅e 脿 黑料不打烊 en 2011 et, avec Michael Sinatra, il a contribu茅 脿 la fondation du听Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanit茅s num茅riques听en 2013,[15]听un centre qui rassemble plus de 70 chercheurs provenant de huit universit茅s du Qu茅bec. 脌 l鈥橴niversit茅 黑料不打烊, St茅fan a mis aussi sur pied son laboratoire financ茅 par la FCI, le "Scaling Humanities Analytics and Visualization Lab" (SHAVLAB), un centre d'analyse de textes et de visualisation de donn茅es bas茅 sur les humanit茅s, contribuant 脿 diffuser de nouvelles approches et impliquant des 茅tudiant.e.s qui ont b茅n茅fici茅 et continueront de b茅n茅ficier - tant pour les carri猫res universitaires que non universitaires - du m茅lange de comp茅tences humanistes et techniques qu'offrent les humanit茅s num茅riques. St茅fan a 茅galement particip茅 脿 plusieurs projets de grande envergure au Canada, aux 脡tats-Unis et en Europe, dont les projets听TAPoR, SAToRBase : A Database of Topoi for French Literature,[16]听濒别听CWRC,[17]听狈辞惫别濒罢惭[18]听别迟听CO.SHS,[19]听pour n'en citer que quelques-uns. Plus r茅cemment, il fut membre fondateur du Groupe de recherche sur les 茅ditions critiques en contexte num茅rique (GREN),[20]听financ茅 par le fonds de recherche soci茅t茅 et culture du Qu茅bec.
St茅fan 茅tait d'une gentillesse et d'une attention sans faille. Il 茅tait un ardent d茅fenseur des 茅tudiant.e.s, et a transmis 脿 toute une g茅n茅ration le go没t de la programmation dans une perspective humaniste, en d茅veloppant par exemple ALTA, un manuel en ligne sur l'art de l'analyse des textes litt茅raires.[21]听Soucieux d鈥檕euvrer au bien de la communaut茅 茅largie des chercheurs en lettres, sciences humaines et sociales, il a dirig茅 le d茅veloppement et la maintenance d'une grande partie de l'infrastructure de recherche dont beaucoup d'entre nous d茅pendent sans s鈥檈n rendre compte. En plus de听Voyant, il a particip茅 au d茅veloppement et 脿 la gestion du portail d'analyse de textes pour la recherche (TAPoR),[22]听du projet MONK, de l'environnement simul茅 pour le th茅芒tre,[23]听du navigateur Mandala et de BonPatron (un correcteur de grammaire fran莽aise tr猫s utilis茅 qu'il a d茅velopp茅 avec Terry Nadasdi),[24]听et encore bien d鈥檃utres serveurs et sites web. C'est dans un souci constant de prendre soin de notre infrastructure partag茅e qu'il a continuellement r茅par茅 et am茅lior茅 l'un des environnements d'analyse de texte les plus utilis茅s de 1996 脿 aujourd'hui, alors qu'il 茅voluait de听HyperPo听脿听Voyeur, puis enfin听Voyant.
St茅fan n'a pas seulement cr茅茅 de beaux outils utiles 脿 la communaut茅, il a aussi r茅fl茅chi avec d'autres sur la fabrication et l'interpr茅tation des technologies num茅riques. En 2003, par exemple, il a r茅dig茅 un article essentiel intitul茅 "La lecture assist茅e par ordinateur : Reconcevoir l'analyse de texte" qui s'appuyait sur ses travaux sur听HyperPo.[25]听Avec Geoffrey Rockwell, il a d茅velopp茅 une pratique collaborative d'exp茅rimentation et de d茅veloppement informatique con莽ue comme un mode de r茅flexion sur la technologie, qui est d茅crite dans听. Il a aussi 茅crit en collaboration avec Stan Ruecker et Milena Radzikowska un ouvrage intitul茅听Visual Interface Design for Digital Cultural Heritage听(Ashgate 2011). Ces derni猫res ann茅es, il travaillait en 茅troite collaboration avec Andrew MacDonald sur听Spyral, un environnement de programmation qui 茅tend听Voyant听de mani猫re 脿 l鈥檌nt茅grer dans des infrastructures comme le projet LINCS, dirig茅 par Susan Brown et d茅velopp茅 脿 partir d鈥檜ne id茅e de St茅fan.[26]
St茅fan laisse dans le deuil sa femme, ses deux filles, sa s艙ur et son beau-fr猫re, sa ni猫ce et ses parents. Ses derniers jours se sont d茅roul茅s dans le calme au centre de soins palliatifs de Saint-Rapha毛l, o霉 il a pu accueillir sa famille et son chien, Choco. Ses attentions, son courage, son g茅nie et ses questions g茅n茅reuses nous manqueront 脿 toutes et 脿 tous. La听Canadian Society for Digital Humanities/Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques听et l'Association for Computers and the Humanities听茅tudient la meilleure fa莽on de lui rendre hommage, et une annonce sera faite 脿 l'automne. Le Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanit茅s num茅riques nommera quant 脿 lui une conf茅rence annuelle en son honneur. D猫s 脿 pr茅sent, nous invitons celles et ceux qu'il a touch茅.e.s par son enseignement, sa recherche ou ses outils 脿 partager des souvenirs ou des images sur le site de la听Soci茅t茅 canadienne des humanit茅s num茅riques.[27]听Plut么t que des fleurs, des contributions 脿听听et 脿 la听听seraient tr猫s appr茅ci茅es.
By: Geoffrey Rockwell at the University of Alberta, Susan Brown at the University of Guelph, and Michael Sinatra at Universit茅 de Montr茅al.
[1]听
[2]听CWRC/CS脡C or听
[3]听
[4]听听is the CFI-funded open cyberinfrastructure for the humanities and social sciences
[5]听听(GREN)
[6]听
[7]听
[8]听
[9]听
[10]听Literary and Linguistic Computing听18:2. (2003) 175鈥�184.
[11]听LINCS is the听
[12]听
[13]听
[14]听
[15]听听(CRIHN)
[16]听
[17]听CWRC/CS脡C ou听
[18]听
[19]听听est la听Cyberinfrastructure ouverte pour les sciences humaines et sociales
[20]听听(GREN)
[21]听
[22]听
[23]听
[24]听
[25]听Literary and Linguistic Computing听18:2. (2003) 175鈥�184.
[26]听LINCS est la听
[27]听
[1]听
[2]听
[3]听听(CRIHN)
Peter M. Daly
We are sad to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Peter M. Daly on August 5, 2024. An international authority in Emblem studies , Peter served as chair of the Department of German Studies of over two decades.
He will be remembered for his intellectual curiosity, leadership, pursuit of excellence, and wry sense of humour.
Pamela Steward (1934-2025)
The recent passing of Professor Pamela Stewart marks the end of an era at 黑料不打烊 University, where her illustrious career spanned over four decades and mirrored the growth and evolution of Italian Studies. Her contributions were integral to this discipline's development from its nascent stages to its establishment as the respected academic program that today is part of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. While she may no longer be with us, her legacy inspires future generations of scholars and students dedicated to Italy's language and culture.
When Professor Stewart arrived at 黑料不打烊 in the mid-1950s, the university's Italian Studies program was still very much in its early stages. Though the occasional Italian language course had been offered in the early decades of the 20th century, it was not until the late 1940s that a concerted effort was made to establish a dedicated Italian presence on campus. In 1949-1950, the renowned Professor Raymond Klibansky, a towering scholar of medieval and Renaissance Platonism, spearheaded an agreement with the Italian ambassador to Quebec that led to the creation of the first Italian language professorship at 黑料不打烊. Antonio D'Andrea, a promising young Italian intellectual steeped in the philosophical tradition of Benedetto Croce, was appointed to this inaugural role, laying the groundwork for what used to be a section within a Department of Romance Languages.
This early foundation set the stage for Professor Stewart鈥檚 transformative impact on the budding academic field. She played a central role in the transition of the Italian unit into a fully independent department in the mid-1960s. Appointed as an Associate Professor, Stewart contributed to guiding the department's growth and evolution while actively promoting Italian language teaching in Montreal public schools. The following decade saw significant growth, with the introduction of the Major in Italian and a doubling of course offerings. Stewart's expertise was crucial to this expansion, contributing to curriculum development and teaching. As the department evolved into the Department of Italian in the late 1970s, offering 24 courses, Stewart's role continued to grow. Her research focused on Italian theatre from the Renaissance to the 18th century, Boccaccio's Decameron, and Machiavelli, particularly the reception of The Prince. Along with Professor D'Andrea, she co-edited the prestigious Yearbook of Italian Studies, bridging scholarship from Italy and North America.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Stewart's innovative teaching methods came to the fore. She created a popular course on Commedia dell'Arte, allowing students to write, stage, and act in Italian. The annual performances became celebrated community events that continue to this day. Additionally, she co-authored an elementary language textbook with Professor D'Andrea, which became a cornerstone of language instruction in the department for many
years. Professor Stewart's leadership was recognized when she became Chair of the department, a position she held with distinction, shaping the direction of Italian Studies at 黑料不打烊 until her retirement in 1997. Even after retiring, her influence continued as Professor Emerita and Director of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Centre for Continuing Education, reflecting her enduring dedication to the profession.
Throughout her career, Professor Stewart was known not only for her academic achievements but also for her genuine care for her students. Her ability to make complex topics accessible, provide insightful feedback, and offer support beyond the classroom left an indelible mark on generations of scholars. From the early days of Italian Studies to their transformation into today鈥檚 multifaceted program, Professor Stewart's career paralleled and significantly shaped the growth of our discipline at 黑料不打烊.