ECU’s Digital Innovation and Scholarship in Social Sciences and Humanities (DISSH) Hosted the Fall 2020 Virtual Digital Institute of the Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carlina (DHC-NC).
Last week’s DHC-NC institute brought new ideas, people, and projects to the DHC-NC community. Each offered particular perspectives and approaches to answer the call of Digital Humanities in Extraordinary Times. While the institute’s theme might bring to mind the many urgent challenges of the present moment, a number of the institute’s presenters highlighted the perpetual urgency to document, share, and interpret history.
The event drew 240 attendees from across the state and from as far as Japan and the Virgin Islands for the institute’s 21 presentations. Presenters included scholars from ECU; UNCG; Duke; UNCW; NC State; NCCU; UNC; UNCC; UVA; and Stonybrook, NY, as well as independent scholars, filmmakers, and historians. Sessions highlighted work ranging from documenting and responding to life during the pandemic, preserving African American history and experiences, and using various technologies to create digital projects. Digital humanities methods can be great accomplices in this work as we strive to make meaning out of experience.
The breadth and depth of information shared during our conference reveals the hunger for this content and its corresponding community. Taking a hint from our inspiring keynote speaker, Dr. Alex Gil, “connecting what you know to what is needed’, is the essential qualifier for a high quality digital humanities project. The Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina knows there are great DH scholars and practitioners all across this state and we are eager to serve as a platform for sharing and connecting in the upcoming year. We highly encourage you to check out the hashtag, #dhcollabnc, and the conference program to learn more about our presenters and view links to their projects.
Many thanks to Executive Board members Chaitra Powell, Donna Kain, and Hannah Jacobs for contributing to this blog post.