Abstract: The reform of the Renaissance historiography, with more emphasis on primary sources, founded the English tradition of historical positivism, but provoked the compulsive obsession or anxiety for archives. The need of sustainable preservation and convenient access to collective memory, have promoted the quick development of digital archives. However, conventional scholarship never stops suspecting digital humanities of its methodologies and databases, consequently hampering the transformation of digital archives to digital humanities in Britain. This article will explore the challenge of digital humanities in the English historiography. It focuses particularly on the reconceptualization of English archives in terms of digital databases, as well as the reconstruction of memory institution and collective memory in the new digital age.

Key words: English historical positivism, digital archives, digital humanities, collective memory