Intellectual and Pedagogical Statement
Why dh?
Digital humanities offers a path forward for contemporary scholars to think about the importance of all aspects of datafication in our modern society. The social, cultural and political consequences of the overwhelming amount of data being generated today cannot be overstated. The emergence of dh as a discipline calls on those engaged in its study to think more fully about the implications of who is included, who is excluded and what the meaning from a humanist perspective can be drawn from these emergent data realities. The study of dh offers a way to think about the world and its artifacts in a way that allows for consideration of history and culture, through a social lens that can tell the stories of those re-presented in a big data world.
My values
When I engage with material and scholarship I begin from a starting point of trying to understand the world as it is being shown and revealed in my academic work. This is not a value neutral position to begin academic inquiry. Instead, I believe frameworks for justice and equity should be considered from the beginning of any academic pursuit. I consider who’s voice is being privileged in works I engage with. I consider the perspective and framing that result from the biases of the author. I seek to elevate the stories of those who would otherwise not be considered in those discourses, to highlight the omissions of particular people, places and times, and through my scholarship I seek to build a socially and culturally responsive, humble, and inclusive body of work focused on addressing the world as it is today in order to construct a new future reflecting these values.
My approach
Central to my understanding of how to conduct scholarship, to be a digital humanist, and to teach in the information literacy context are the works of Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, Michel Foucault, Henri Lefebvre and Frantz Fanon. Collectively these scholars have shaped and pushed my understanding of the world to evolve and grow. Key first principles that emerge from my reading of their works that form the basis of my pedagogical approach are (1) critical inquiry and conversation, (2) intersectionality, (3) and liberatory frameworks. Emerging out of a multitude of social movements these thinkers provide a sense of placing the contemporary moment that is best understood in the context of an unjust past and present. Whether it be in the form of a critically engaged pedagogy described by hooks building on the work of Freire, a call to inclusiveness and recognition of difference by Collins, recognition of the systems of power and privilege at play in the works of Foucault, Fanon and Lefebvre they each offer a way to better understand how the world works, how we understand our place in it, and how we can learn and grow in community with each other. At best, a librarian is a facilitator of knowledge and at worst a gatekeeper to the ivory tower. I seek, in my work, to build bridges, dismantle walls, and grow towards inclusion in every aspect of my scholarship. I recognize that in many ways my position is one of privilege and I seek to use that position to empower those around me, and those will come after me.