Sylvia Wynter's Dream

Host:

Welcome to Sylvia’s Dream, where we review the discussions that are happening within the digital humanities discipline. Before we consider the comments of the three scholars you chose, I want us to pause a moment and answer this question from one of ours listeners. It asks: “What exactly is Digital Humanities?” Well, Dr. Laurie Taylor has a simple and succinct definition that will likely prove helpful to this particular listener, so we’re going to take a moment to hear what she has to say!

[Clip: Dr. Laurie N. Taylor’s definition of Digital Humanities]¹

Host:

Now that we have that definition, it’s time to take a moment to appreciate the interconnected insights of the three brilliant scholars within today’s Digital Humanities debate. Amy Earhart’s perspective is where we’ll begin. Her work takes us on a journey from the hopeful vision of the 1990s, where the internet was seen as a tool to recover and publish lost or marginalised texts, to the sobering realisation that the current landscape doesn’t quite live up to that promise of inclusivity, especially when it comes to addressing issues of race².

Host:

What’s fascinating is that, upon closer examination, we find that Earhart’s concerns resonate with many other scholars within the field. Two voices that echo her concerns stand out as we continue to expand on her insights. Cocq, in a thought-provoking piece from 2021, sheds light on the fact that Digital Humanities isn’t just exclusive; it’s untenable.³ He further argues that a sustainable DH should be a platform that better reflects the diversity of cultural values, perspectives, and ethics that are so integral to the various fieldworks and research subjects within the sector⁴.

Host:

But the dialogue doesn’t conclude here; because Tara McPherson, in her contribution to “Debates in the Digital Humanities,” delves into a crucial question, namely: Why is the digital humanities predominantly white? She ventures deep into the historical connections between race and computation, revealing the intricate intertwining of racial paradigms and digital culture. According to McPherson, the division between these realms is, in truth, a consequence of how our knowledge has been structured.⁵ More intriguingly, she argues that concealed within digital technologies are covert racial logics that emphasise fragmentation and segregation.

Host:

These thought-provoking perspectives, brief though they were, spark further questions and concerns. They beckon us to explore solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable future. Now, you may be wondering, what exactly are those solutions? Well, that’s the focus of an upcoming episode. Until then, keep dreaming, keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries of what is known!

1. https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/reframingdh/chapter/laurie-taylor-and-cultivating-caribbean-knowledge/
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2. Gold, M. K. (2012). Debates in the Digital Humanities. University of Minnesota Press. https://doi.org/10.5749/9781452963754
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3. Cocq, C. (2021). Revisiting the digital humanities through the lens of Indigenous studies—or how to question the cultural blindness of our technologies and practices. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 73(2), 333–344. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24564
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4. Cocq, C. (2021). Revisiting the digital humanities through the lens of Indigenous studies—or how to question the cultural blindness of our technologies and practices. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 73(2), 333–344. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24564
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5. Gold, M. K. (2012). Debates in the Digital Humanities. University of Minnesota Press. https://doi.org/10.5749/9781452963754
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