DISSINET
@dissinet.bsky.social
The Dissident Networks Project (DISSINET), an ERC-funded inititative at Masaryk University’s Centre for the Digital Research of Religion, applies SNA, GIS, and computational text analysis to explore dissident and inquisitorial cultures in medieval Europe.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have invaded various aspects of our lives 🤖 🧠
Despite understandable skepticism, LLMs can serve as valuable tools for research-oriented information extraction from historical texts 📜
Read our methodological reflections on working with LLMs: dissinet.cz/news/article...
Despite understandable skepticism, LLMs can serve as valuable tools for research-oriented information extraction from historical texts 📜
Read our methodological reflections on working with LLMs: dissinet.cz/news/article...
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 limitat...
dissinet.cz
November 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Large Language Models (LLMs) have invaded various aspects of our lives 🤖 🧠
Despite understandable skepticism, LLMs can serve as valuable tools for research-oriented information extraction from historical texts 📜
Read our methodological reflections on working with LLMs: dissinet.cz/news/article...
Despite understandable skepticism, LLMs can serve as valuable tools for research-oriented information extraction from historical texts 📜
Read our methodological reflections on working with LLMs: dissinet.cz/news/article...
DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more. Proposals are due 31 July 2025! Please share with anyone who might be interested.
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 res...
dissinet.cz
June 30, 2025 at 10:55 AM
DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more. Proposals are due 31 July 2025! Please share with anyone who might be interested.
How did medieval inquisitors weigh the extent of heretics' guilt? ⚖️
Have a look at our interactive visualisation of the relationship between heretical crimes and sentencing in the register of Peter Seila (1241-2). dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
Have a look at our interactive visualisation of the relationship between heretical crimes and sentencing in the register of Peter Seila (1241-2). dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
Variation and order in the stories of guilt in Peter Seila's register: From Seeing to Belief
The inquisitional register of Peter Seila (1241-2, Languedoc) is evidence of a thorough investigation trying to weigh the extent of guilt carefully. Allow detailed counting of individual misdeeds of 6...
dissinet.cz
June 12, 2025 at 1:50 PM
How did medieval inquisitors weigh the extent of heretics' guilt? ⚖️
Have a look at our interactive visualisation of the relationship between heretical crimes and sentencing in the register of Peter Seila (1241-2). dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
Have a look at our interactive visualisation of the relationship between heretical crimes and sentencing in the register of Peter Seila (1241-2). dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
How can historians benefit from digital methods without sacrificing the rigours of close reading and source criticism?
Read our recently published article in Acta Historica Tallinnensia to find out!
dissinet.cz/news/article...
Read our recently published article in Acta Historica Tallinnensia to find out!
dissinet.cz/news/article...
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 fie...
dissinet.cz
June 6, 2025 at 3:24 PM
How can historians benefit from digital methods without sacrificing the rigours of close reading and source criticism?
Read our recently published article in Acta Historica Tallinnensia to find out!
dissinet.cz/news/article...
Read our recently published article in Acta Historica Tallinnensia to find out!
dissinet.cz/news/article...
Reminder: join us tomorrow at 🕓 4 pm CET!
If you are interested in the study of generative network models, join us next week on 29 May for a talk by Daniel Gotthardt of the University of Hamburg, who will present on "Analyzing non-local influence processes in dynamic networks". Click here for the Zoom link: dissinet.cz/news/events-...
May 28, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reminder: join us tomorrow at 🕓 4 pm CET!
The popular online publication Aktuálně.cz has used our comprehensive dataset of witchcraft trials in Czech lands to create a new map! Their article also features several other helpful visualisations and findings based on our data. Click here to read more: dissinet.cz/news/article...
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.
dissinet.cz
May 27, 2025 at 7:12 PM
The popular online publication Aktuálně.cz has used our comprehensive dataset of witchcraft trials in Czech lands to create a new map! Their article also features several other helpful visualisations and findings based on our data. Click here to read more: dissinet.cz/news/article...
If you are interested in the study of generative network models, join us next week on 29 May for a talk by Daniel Gotthardt of the University of Hamburg, who will present on "Analyzing non-local influence processes in dynamic networks". Click here for the Zoom link: dissinet.cz/news/events-...
May 22, 2025 at 5:55 PM
If you are interested in the study of generative network models, join us next week on 29 May for a talk by Daniel Gotthardt of the University of Hamburg, who will present on "Analyzing non-local influence processes in dynamic networks". Click here for the Zoom link: dissinet.cz/news/events-...
Did the people investigated by the inquisition in Bologna form a few cohesive communities, or are they better understood as many small groups or individuals who drew the attention of the inquisitors separately?
To find out, take a look at our most recent data snapshot! dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
To find out, take a look at our most recent data snapshot! dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
April 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Did the people investigated by the inquisition in Bologna form a few cohesive communities, or are they better understood as many small groups or individuals who drew the attention of the inquisitors separately?
To find out, take a look at our most recent data snapshot! dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
To find out, take a look at our most recent data snapshot! dissinet.cz/data-snapsho...
Only one more day left to apply!
DISSINET is offering support for MSCA postdoc applications on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
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 re...
dissinet.cz
April 14, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Only one more day left to apply!
The deadline is tomorrow!
DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more. Proposals are due 15 April 2025! Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Medieval anti-heretical hate speech: Funded Ph.D. opportunity
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 res...
dissinet.cz
April 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The deadline is tomorrow!
One of the most common ways inquisitors determined whom to investigate was by asking deponents to incriminate others. Interestingly, men and women exhibited different patterns when providing incriminations.
Find out more in our recent study published in PLOS One: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Find out more in our recent study published in PLOS One: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Gender, kinship, and other social predictors of incrimination in the inquisition register of Bologna (1291–1310): Results from an exponential random graph model
The medieval inquisition of heresy strongly relied on depositions, where witnesses were expected to report on the crimes of others and oneself. The resulting patterns of incrimination could be influen...
journals.plos.org
April 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
One of the most common ways inquisitors determined whom to investigate was by asking deponents to incriminate others. Interestingly, men and women exhibited different patterns when providing incriminations.
Find out more in our recent study published in PLOS One: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Find out more in our recent study published in PLOS One: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
DISSINET is offering support for MSCA postdoc applications on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
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 re...
dissinet.cz
April 1, 2025 at 10:07 AM
DISSINET is offering support for MSCA postdoc applications on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Preliminary proposals are due 15 April 2025!
Please share with anyone who might be interested.
DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more. Proposals are due 15 April 2025! Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Medieval anti-heretical hate speech: Funded Ph.D. opportunity
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 res...
dissinet.cz
March 31, 2025 at 4:48 PM
DISSINET is offering support to M.A. graduates applying for fully funded Ph.D. studies on medieval anti-heretical hate speech using digital and quantitative methods. Go to dissinet.cz/news/article... to find out more. Proposals are due 15 April 2025! Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Our principal investigator @davidzbiral.bsky.social and research fellow K. Suba recently investigated the Cathar practice of endura. The results are available as a pre-print on Zenodo: zenodo.org/records/1373....
It was exciting to delve again in data about endura, Cathar pre-mortal fasting (ca. 1275-1325), with K. Suba from our
@dissinet.bsky.social, reviewing contexts and demographics. Not exactly religious suicide (not always in any case), no normal fasting either. Pre-print: zenodo.org/records/1373...
@dissinet.bsky.social, reviewing contexts and demographics. Not exactly religious suicide (not always in any case), no normal fasting either. Pre-print: zenodo.org/records/1373...
March 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Our principal investigator @davidzbiral.bsky.social and research fellow K. Suba recently investigated the Cathar practice of endura. The results are available as a pre-print on Zenodo: zenodo.org/records/1373....