Digital Humanities at Michigan State University is proud to continue its Global DH Symposium into its seventh year, and its third year as an entirely virtual event. Digital humanities scholarship continues to be driven by work at the intersections of a range of distinct disciplines and an ethical commitment to preserve and broaden access to cultural materials.
DH has been a key site for interrogating narratives about disruption, connection, virtuality, surveillance, algorithmic bias, data and resistance, the digital divide, and digital accountabilities. In this moment, shaped by a global pandemic and climate crisis, these narratives and conversations are as urgent as ever.
Focused on these issues, we invite work at the intersections of critical DH; race and ethnicity; feminism, intersectionality, and gender; and anti-colonial and postcolonial frameworks. Scholarship that works across borders with a focus on transnational partnerships and globally accessible data is especially welcome. Lastly, we define the term “humanities” rather broadly to incorporate the discussion of issues that encourage interdisciplinary understanding of the humanities.
This symposium, which will include a mixture of presentation types, welcomes 250-300-word proposals by the end of the day Wednesday, December 1, midnight in your timezone:
This year we especially anticipate and welcome presentations on the following topics:
- Digital humanities, the environment, and the climate crisis
- Issues of healthcare and the digital humanities
- Global DH during a global pandemic
We are always interested to hear about the following topics:
- Indigeneity – anywhere in the world – and the digital
- Surveillance, censorship, and/or data privacy in a global context
- Productive failure; failure as a part of DH praxis
- Cultural heritage in a range of contexts, particularly non-Western
- Open data, open access, and data preservation as resistance
- How identity categories and their intersections, shape digital humanities work
- Global digital pedagogies and emerging technologies
- Equity and inclusion in digital access
- Digital humanities, postcolonialism, and anti-colonialism
- Borders, migration, and/or diaspora and their connection to the digital
- Multilingualism and the digital
- Global research dialogues and collaborations
- Scholarly communication and knowledge production in a global context
- Virtual worlds and digital storytelling
Presentation formats:
- 5-minute lightning talk (250-300 word proposal)
- 15-minute presentation (250-300 word proposal)
- 90-minute panel (100-word proposal describing the panel as a whole, plus 100-word description for each presentation within the panel)
- 60-minute Workshop (250-300 word proposal)
- Project showcase (250-300 word proposal)
- There will be a session similar to a poster presentation fair, in which presenters will share their work with small groups or individuals. Rather than a set presentation length, this project showcase will enable one-on-one feedback and ask presenters to share about their work in a more conversational and extemporaneous way.
We also encourage proposals for non-traditional formats for virtual presentations, performances, readings, or workshops, particularly those that utilize the tools and/or the experimental and collaborative ethos of DH. We invite any and all re-imaginings of what a virtual conference presentation can be.
Please note that we conduct a double-anonymous review process, so please refrain from identifying your institution or identity in your proposal.
The 2022 Symposium will be run as an entirely virtual event. We will use Zoom as the primary space for symposium attendance. All presenters and registered attendees will receive a Zoom link via email in advance of the event and are welcome to join in the Zoom meeting to follow presentations, ask questions, and engage with the community. Presentations, panels, lightning talks, and Q&A sessions will also be livestreamed on Youtube. All are welcome to join in by watching the presentations on Youtube and participating in the livestream chat feature. Questions for presenters will be taken from both the Zoom room and the livestream chat.
Presenters are required to join the Zoom meeting during their respective session, but have the option not to have their presentation livestreamed. We will support pre-recorded presentations as needed for presenters concerned about connectivity and bandwidth challenges. We encourage pre-recorded parts of presentations that make creative use of the pre-recorded format.
The 2022 Symposium will include presentations in Spanish and French. We will make interpretation available for English into Spanish, English into French, and both Spanish and French into English. Additionally, proposals can be submitted in English, French, and Spanish.
Examples of presentations from previous years in these formats can be found at the DH@MSU Youtube Channel and the Proceedings website.
Deadline to apply: December 1, 2021
Notifications of acceptance will be given by January 15, 2022
