Digital Humanities in the Modern World: Praxis, Ethics, Aesthetics

Brownbag Masterclass with Nishani Frazier (University of Kansas).

In this session, Nishani Frazier Professor of history and American studies at the University of Kansas and REAF/Leibniz ScienceCampus Visiting Fellow will discuss some ideas on how to present empirical research findings using the formats offered by digital humanities. She will explore the practices and platforms that are open to researchers who would like to take their work from paperbased formats into the digital realm. She will reflect on her own experience in this field, with her 2017 monograph Harambee City: Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland and the Rise of Black Power Populism accompanied by an extensive online project featuring oral history interviews, source materials and interactive elements, such as maps and teaching materials. Her research on (anti-)gentrification has furthermore resulted in the Gentrifcation Project database, a gateway for activists, city residents, investigators, and non-profits united in a cohesive, integrated, and an intentionally designed program for anti-gentrification action. In the course of the workshop, Nishani Frazier will also suggest how to conceive of projects from the outset as contributions to the digital humanities. She will also touch upon questions relating to research ethics in digital humanities, aesthetics including Black aesthetics, and how digital humanities can be used to promote social justice and reach broader audiences beyond academia.