Nirmala Menon’s research while affiliated with Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and other places

Digital labour (DL) in the context of digital humanities (DH) broadly comprises the process of data collection, curation, analysis, and visualization, leading to the creation of a final project. DL, when analyzed from an Indian DH perspective, consists of humanities scholars acquiring additional technical knowledge required for the research, finding suitable resources (technical and otherwise), infrastructures, and collaborating with other disciplines, etc. This DL, together with manual labour (ML) of writing about outcomes (Anderson et al. 2016), is complicated and time-consuming for DH scholars. Yet DL gets recognized due to the nascent state of DH in the subcontinent. Despite the evident DL involved in the creation and successful proliferation of DH projects, it is seldom addressed in academic scholarship (Anderson et al. 2016) and even more rarely in Indian DH academia. The lack of proper infrastructure (Anderson et al. 2016) and deficiency in technical knowledge (Thangavel and Menon 2020) have resulted in a greater DL among the DH practitioners in India when compared to their peers elsewhere, yet it has gone unrecognized, given the lack of literature and research on DL in Indian DH. The existing resistance in humanities towards accommodating the new approaches of DH (Greetham 2012) has made DL manifold. In an effort to recognize DL in DH, this paper attempts a definition of DL in DH, especially in the Indian context, followed by a broad classification of digital labourers (DLers) in DH in India. The paper utilizes a case study of selected DH projects in India to understand the gaps in recognizing the DLers and DL in Indian DH projects, especially the DL of students and researchers. The findings from the case study further lead to the proposal of a possible framework to address the emergence and evolving nature of DL in DH, as well as to compensate for the same appropriately. Le travail numérique (TN) dans le contexte des humanités numériques (HN) comprend largement le processus de collecte, de conservation, d'analyse et de visualisation des données, menant à la création d'un projet final. Lorsqu'il est analysé du point de vue des HN indiennes, le travail numérique consiste pour les chercheurs en sciences humaines à acquérir des connaissances techniques supplémentaires nécessaires à la recherche, à trouver des ressources appropriées (techniques et autres), des infrastructures et à collaborer avec d'autres disciplines, etc. Ce TN, ainsi que le travail manuel (TM) de rédaction des résultats (Anderson et al. 2016), est compliqué et prend du temps pour les chercheurs en HN. Pourtant, le TN est reconnu en raison de l'état naissant des HN dans le sous-continent. Malgré l'implication évidente du TN dans la création et la prolifération réussie des projets d'humanités numériques, il est rarement abordé dans les travaux universitaires (Anderson et al. 2016) et encore plus rarement dans les universités indiennes spécialisées dans les HN. Le manque d'infrastructures appropriées (Anderson et al. 2016) et les lacunes en matière de connaissances techniques (Thangavel et Menon 2020) ont entraîné une plus grande TN parmi les praticiens des HN en Inde par rapport à leurs pairs ailleurs, mais cela n'a pas été reconnu, étant donné le manque de littérature et de recherche sur le TN dans le domaine des HN en Inde. La résistance existante dans les sciences humaines à l'égard de l'adaptation aux nouvelles approches de HN (Greetham 2012) a multiplié les TN. Dans un effort pour reconnaître les TN au sein des HN, cet article tente de définir les TN pour les HN, en particulier dans le contexte indien, suivi d'une classification générale des travailleurs numériques (en anglais "digital labourers") dans les HN en Inde. L'article utilise une étude de cas de projets HN sélectionnés en Inde pour comprendre les lacunes dans la reconnaissance des travailleurs numériques et des TN dans les projets HN indiens, en particulier les TN des étudiants et des chercheurs. Les résultats de l'étude de cas conduisent en outre à la proposition d'un cadre possible pour aborder l'émergence et la nature évolutive des TN dans HN, ainsi que pour compenser ces mêmes TN de manière appropriée.

Geo-spatial archives, especially in the context of DH, are seldom defined and studied. Though there are works on geo-spatial archives in DH (Foley, 2015), a proper definition and characteristics of the same are not covered in the existing works. This general lack of attention to geo-spatial archives also means that the multitudes of opportunities that this area can offer are left unexplored. Spatial hypertext is an important possibility in geo-spatial archives where digital maps serve as hypertexts within the larger text (the latter which can either be a base map or a text). Spatial hypertextual tools such as Tinderbox and Storyspace have long been in use for hypertextual writing. Along similar lines, in this paper we propose using digital maps as spatial hypertext in DH geo-spatial archive which in turn will facilitate a deeper spatial analysis of the geolocation visualized. The first part of this paper therefore attempts to define and establish spatial geo-spatial archives in DH, along with its characteristics by citing and examining the existing projects on the same. The second part of the paper moves one step ahead to propose digital maps as spatial hypertexts within a geo-spatial DH archive which can further the deep mapping of the geolocation under study. This section will also contain a prototype of an upcoming geo-spatial archival DH project on massacres that is being developed as part of doctoral dissertation. The final section will substantiate the methods, tools, and the pedagogical opportunities of using spatial hypertext within DH geo-spatial projects. The main aim of the study is therefore to capture the attention of the spatial digital humanists to the developing field of geo-spatial archives and to initiate discussions on the possibilities of the same through the proposal of digital maps as spatial hypertexts.

Massacre studies have long been overshadowed by other disciplines, especially genocide studies (the Holocaust being a prominent one). The absence of an accepted definition of the term ‘massacre’ legally and theoretically makes it more difficult to differentiate and establish the field of massacre studies from other disciplines. The lack of consensus among scholars about the classifications and causalities of massacres in turn make understanding the phenomenon arduous. In this article, we attempt a literature review of the field of massacre studies by looking at the existing theoretical and legal frameworks internationally and nationally in India, to understand the gaps in the same. The findings are utilized to develop a working definition of massacre, especially Dalit massacres in India and to propose a legal and theoretical framework for the same. The latter is achieved by building upon the works and thoughts of the stalwarts in Dalit studies as well as the existing laws related to massacres.

Digital Humanities (DH) is thriving as an emerging field in India along with other parts of the world and has created a huge interest among scholarly practitioners. However, the books that engage with the field within the Indian educational ecosystem, struggling with financial lacks, and infrastructural limitations have rarely existed. At this moment, this book has really proven to be a go-to text for scholars in understanding the Indian scenario, scopes, and possibilities of the field. In this first book on DHs from India, the descriptions and analysis drawn by the different authors truly delineate the picture of the rise of the field in the country and its need for upliftment, activism, and development. The various authors not only clarify the meaning of digital, but their descriptions have assisted our understanding of the position of DH in the Indian context. The changing content, process, and focus with this massive shift brought by the digital tsunami have been perfectly caught in the descriptions of the book. Nevertheless, this transition followed the footsteps of Western contemporaries, yet the journey is ‘far from similar’ (Jyoti and Subramanian, 2020).

Digital Humanities (DH) in India is continuously evolving to carve a space of its own through its contribution to the global DH theory, pedagogy, and tools. With the increasing number of independent, institutional, and/or collaborative DH projects in the country, it is now necessary to move beyond the primary questions of digitisation, infrastructure, and Anglican influence in Indian DH, to that of sustainability, reproducibility and explainability, of DH projects. In this paper, we critically examine and theorise the concept of reproducibility of DH projects in India. The paper achieves this by conducting a bipartite case study of selected Indian DH practitioners and their projects. First, a survey is conducted with the practitioners on questions ranging from the meaning of the concept, tools that facilitate reproducibility, and the process of documentation, to problems (like institutional or funding agency policies) that restrict the practitioners from following an open-access, reproducible workflow. Second, projects of selected DH practitioners are examined to understand the reproducibility offered by their projects. Critical analysis of the projects will foreground the constraints in terms of reproducibility faced by Indian DH projects such as linguistic and semantic barriers, along with providing valuable insights on the “open, shareable, reproducible workflows” of the projects (Liu et al., 2017). The results from the case study led to the proposal of a suitable model that can effectively offers reproducibility of Indian DH projects.

Dalit massacres in India are an understudied area of research, with even fewer works on the female experiences of the massacres. As part of a larger study that aims to create a spatial archive of the female survivors of selected Dalit massacres, this article maps the female survivors of the Marichjhapi massacre (1979). Being the first prototype of the forthcoming archive, a thorough analysis of the massacre is performed here using feminist geocriticism and digital cartography. The introduction gives the background to the massacre and foregrounds the absence of female narratives surrounding the massacre. The next section addresses the gaps in understanding the relation between space, caste, and gender in Dalit scholarship. The methodology section explains the steps involved in a feminist geocritical and digital cartographical approach, which is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research. The prototype of the cartographic visualizations using QGIS software constitutes the next section, along with a visualization of the results and analysis of the data. Dalit female experiences are foregrounded through a close reading of selected texts, both fictional and non-fictional. This will eventually result in the creation of an archive of female historiography by locating the survivors at the site of the massacre.

Democratizing access to information is an enabler for our digital future. It can transform how knowledge is created, preserved, and shared, and strengthen the connection between academics and the communities they serve. Yet, open scholarship is influenced by history and politics. This article explores the foundations underlying open scholarship as a quest for more just, equitable, and inclusive societies. It analyzes the origins of the open scholarship movement and explores how systemic factors have impacted equality and equity of knowledge access and production according to location, nationality, race, age, gender, and socio-economic circumstances. It highlights how the privileges of the global North permeate academic and technical standards, norms, and infrastructures. It also reviews how the collective design of more open and collaborative networks can engage a richer diversity of communities, enabling greater social inclusion, and presents key examples. By fostering dialogue with multiple stakeholders, more effective avenues for knowledge production and representation can be built based on approaches that are accessible, participatory, interactive, ethical, and transparent, and that reach a far broader public. This expansive vision of open science will lead to a more unified knowledge economy.

The study involves close readings of Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock1 and its visual adaptations from a postcolonial feminist and geocritical theoretical framework to analyse how the space operate as a hegemonic tool in reproducing dominance based on gender, race, caste, class, and ethnicity. The comparative study will help to understand the ways in which adaptations of a source narrative to different media modify the landscape and space thereby shifting the gender equations as well. Lindsay’s novel has adaptations (all eponymous) produced during different time periods. The narratives, however, focus on the ‘white vanishing’ trope2 and fail to acknowledge the Aboriginal significance and sacredness of the space (Ngannelong). By focusing on such fictional disappearances, the trauma of real displacement of the First People got overlooked. This has even resulted in organised campaigns like ‘Miranda Must Go’,3 against publicising Ngannelong based on the fictional narratives and to restore the Aboriginal sanctity and relevance of the space. Through geocritical approach, the study aims to highlight this manipulation of history with special emphasis on gender and social location by paying attention to the ways in which space and place influence the story, characters and incidents.