Bridging Text and Experience - Toward an Empirical Humanities

During my exploration of the possibility of conducting research, I encountered many scholars at different stages of their projects. I especially remember one scholar who was conducting research at the Karaikal campus of Pondicherry University. His topic was health and literature, and his methodology involved hospital visits and interviews with patients and visitors. He was enthusiastic about this process: engaging with people in real-world settings, transforming these interactions into data, and later interpreting the findings. I found this approach towards research fascinating, as it broke academic boundaries and fostered genuine investigation and discovery.

Recently, I had a casual chat with a colleague researching a topic in environmental literature. He was reading a novel translated from an Indian language into English. Recognising that his methodology mainly involved reading books, I suggested he step outside the library and campus to interview people affected by landslides in Wayanad or visit Ooty, where numerous environmental issues are present. While such activities demand time, money, and effort, I also advised him to consider interviewing the authors of the books he is referencing as primary sources. The final thesis will be unique, containing many original and authentic insights that extend beyond mere literary themes and fictional characters. In this type of research, it’s crucial to find your own voice rather than merely echo an author’s or critic’s perspective.

An empirical researcher systematically collects and analyses evidence from the real world — including people, texts, performances, archives, or artefacts. They assume multiple roles: as an Observer, gathering evidence and documenting phenomena; as a Listener, establishing ethical relationships with participants; as an Interpreter, deriving meaning from narratives or texts; as an Analyst, identifying themes and implications; as an Archivist, preserving and organising cultural traces; as a Reflexive self, maintaining ethical and positional awareness; as a Communicator, disseminating knowledge clearly and creatively; and as a Theorist-in-practice, integrating evidence with conceptual innovation.

An article by Dr Jehoson Jiresh J, from Christ University, Bengaluru, published in the Hindu Education Plus in September 2025, discusses how humanities departments can remain relevant and prevent the closure of English departments in India. The author advocates looking toward the future rather than clinging to a romanticised past. He suggests that English departments envision a promising future that cultivates thought leaders who can positively impact society. He encourages research scholars to study everyday cultural expressions with academic rigour. Humanities should not oppose science; instead, they should address questions of equity and ethics in scientific pursuits. There is a need for empirical humanities rooted in interpretive traditions that embrace evidence—the so-called techno-textual approach. Literature scholars ought to collaborate with doctors, scientists, and programmers. The English department should work with medical professionals to improve doctor-patient communication, explore how diagnostic language shapes experiences, and investigate how cultural narratives and beliefs influence healthcare decisions. Humanities departments should also collaborate with climate change campaigners to discuss how technology can promote ethical sustainability. When working with AI experts, it is essential to consider how language models reflect human biases and shape experiences. Context Engineering, commonly employed in artificial intelligence and large language model (LLM) systems, requires technical skills, literacy, linguistic competence, critical thinking, interpretation, and cultural understanding. Through Digital Humanities, a paradigm shift can be achieved in digital literacy and data visualisation.