Digital Humanities is the use of digital technologies to support research in the humanities. Through methods such as mapping, data mining, data visualization, digital projects, etc. Digital Humanities places an emphasis on collaborative research and open access, aiming to make information more accessible. The field of digital humanities is not free from bias. Like much of academia, it can also center Western perspectives in knowledge production. However, Digital Humanities also has the ability to transform and reshape traditional academic practices.
DH can be used as a form of resistance and as a tool to amplify voices and bring attention critical issues. For example, Torn Apart/Separados, is a digital humanities project that maps the detention of migrants and the separation of immigrant children from their families. Torn Apart brings attention to the network of ICE detention centers and systematic issues.
Another example, the Colored Conventions Project, connects scholars, librarians, both graduate and undergraduate researchers in a collaborative research project to archive the history of 19th century Black political organizing in the U.S. Histories that would have been forgotten are being revived through their joint efforts. The Early Caribbean Digital Archive, an open access archive of pre-twentieth century Caribbean history, similarly brings together interdisciplinary students and scholars to decolonize historical narratives. Both The Colored Conventions Project and Early Caribbean Digital Archive are examples of epistemic resistance by pushing back against the dominance of the “Global North” in academia.
Hi Radhika. I very much connect with the thoughts you share in this blog post. Specifically, I like your elaboration on the idea that the digital humanities can be (as discussed in the Debates article) a “creative use of technology” to advance research and ideas and even as a vehicle for “disruptive political force.” The latter was clear to me in both the Torn Apart/Separados project and the Colored Conventions project, for different reasons. The Torn Apart/Separados was able to graphically and forcefully show the very current tragedies of US migrant experiences in ways that could not be captured by a print article. The Colored Conventions project powerfully invites exploration of a topic that I personally had little knowledge about; the project provided a deep-dive into the documents and understandings about the conventions more quickly than a print article could have. To me, DH’s ability to present information deeply in a multisensory format is its great strength, and I’m excited to explore more in this field!