Data from social research as source for contemporary history. Designing a framework for a research data infrastructure for research on contemporary history

定量和定性的社会研究已经成为工业社会中自我观察的首选手段。因此，在研究过程中产生的社会数据是研究当代史不可缺少的资源。因此，近年来，数据支持研究在当代历史研究领域受到了极大的关注。历史学家使用来自定量和定性社会研究的数据来回答他们的研究问题。在此过程中，数据从其原始上下文中删除，并进行上下文化和（重新）分析。典型的历史方法是将非常不同的材料组合在一起（例如，数据、有关数据的出版物、制作人访谈等）。然而，对于当代历史学家来说，社会数据的使用涉及重大挑战。首先，潜在的相关数据分散在不同的存储库或数据中心中，或者尚未向其他研究人员开放。第二，有关数据使用的法律问题仍未解决。这一方面涉及法律所有权问题，另一方面涉及数据保护问题。第三，对社会科学数据的评估需要特殊的能力（例如统计知识），这不是大学历史学家课程的一部分。第四，目前建立的数据基础设施不能系统地支持历史学家管理和保存重新发现的数据。该项目将为当代历史研究的数据基础设施开发一个概念框架。在利用资源建设可持续的基础设施之前，必须回答几个基本问题。(1)社会数据在当代历史研究中的应用潜力有多大？是否有可能确定适合当代研究的相关数据库？(2)历史学家使用社会数据的法律约束是什么？(3)历史学家需要哪些支持来开发和使用社会数据？现有的社会科学或人文科学研究基础设施的哪些服务已经满足了这些需求？(4)如何实施当代研究的数据基础设施？如何确保可持续性？在回答上述问题的基础上，该项目旨在为国家研究数据基础设施和欧洲开放科学云的动态发展中当代历史数据基础设施的进一步发展提供视角。

Quantitative and qualitative social research has become the preferred means of self-observation in industrial societies. The social data generated in the research process are therefore an indispensable source for research on contemporary history. In recent years, therefore, data-supported research has received a great deal of attention within the field of contemporary historical research. Historians use the data from quantitative and qualitative social research to answer their research questions. During this process, the data is removed from its original contexts, contextualized and (re)analyzed. Typical for the historical approach is that very different materials are combined (e.g. data, publications on the data, producer interviews etc.).However, for contemporary historians the use of social data involves major challenges. Firstly, potentially relevant data is fragmented in different repositories or data centers or has not yet been made accessible for other researchers. Secondly, legal questions concerning the use of the data remain unresolved. This concerns, on the one hand, questions of legal ownership and, on the other hand, questions of data protection. Thirdly, the evaluation of social science data requires special competencies (e.g. statistical knowledge) that are not part of the university curricula for historians. Fourthly, currently established data infrastructures do not systematically support historians in managing and preserving re-discovered data.This project will serve to develop a conceptual framework for a data infrastructure for research in contemporary history. Before resources are used to build a sustainable infrastructure, several fundamental questions must be answered.(1) How much potential do social data have for use in contemporary historical research? Is it possible to identify relevant databases that are suitable for contemporary research?(2) What are the legal constraints for the use of social data by historians?(3) Which support do historians need for the development and use of social data? What services of existing social sciences or humanities research infrastructures already cover these needs?(4) How can a data infrastructure for contemporary research be implemented? How can sustainability be ensured?Proceeding on the answers to the above questions, this project aims to provide perspectives for the further development of a data infrastructure for contemporary history within the dynamic developments of the National Research Data Infrastructure and the European Open Science Cloud.