The form that knowledge takes in digital environments and
Burdick et al. 2012. “One: Humanities to Digital Humanities”
the arguments it expresses in its information structures can be deeply infused with
humanistic values, but only if humanists are involved.
In my own definition, Digital Humanities refers to the encompass study of human evolution through technology. The communication of these behaviors, however, is deeply influenced by the communicator as implied by the quote above. The truth behind what is communicated relies on the perception and narrative revolving the tracked data; this idea that the “knowledge” in studied Digital Humanities informatics could be influenced by “humanistic values”, challenges and brings to light generations of erasure.
The misinterpretation or flat out lies of data and its impact has served as a tool of conservation for racism, sexism, and ableism as Moya Z. Bailey states in, “All the Digital Humanists Are White, All the Nerds Are Men, but Some of Us Are Brave”. In this text, Bailey acknowledges the structural limitations surrounding race, gender, and the disabled within the study of Digital Humanities. Bailey states the occurrences of injustices towards people of color and their contributions to digital humanities when they said, “There is a need to address the complexities of globalization, colonization, and the alienated labor of people of color in the production of technology that advances digital scholarship practices that they will not be able to access or directly benefit from” (Bailey, 2011). The call out of these behaviors reflects effects of white supremacy which Bailey suggest has seeped its way into the perception and portrayal of those who highly contributed to the development of modern digital humanities. However the severely twisted and racist truth of Bailey’s reflection lies within their acknowledgment that people of color actively do not directly benefit from their contributions to the evolution of technology because of how exclusively white DH has been presented.
DH has, like almost everything throughout the globe, been a tool for culture and racial erasure for the benefit of white supremacy. Which brings me back to the reason why I chose to highlight the quote above: Until actual humanists with actual values join in effort to accurately credit and present data, the DH we know now is only a collection of lies and saving grace stories for the advancement/conservation of racism, sexism, and ableism.
