ENGL 393/AFST 393: Africana Literature and Culture: Digital Diaspora
Abstract
In the 1990s we heard much of the democratization of knowledge emerging from the developing
technological infrastructure, particularly the emerging internet. There was great hope that the
free access materials on the web would allow those previously cut off from intellectual capitol to
gain materials and knowledge that might be leveraged to change social position. As we move
into web 2.0, however, it is increasingly clear that the digital divide apparent in technology
clearly replicates the divisions existing in society. Projects as diverse as openJournals and the
One Laptop per Child seek to address the disparities, but it is clear that many of the same
challenge are alive and well in the digital age. In addition, the academic and museum
communities’ decisions about what is digitized and how it is digitized continue to enforce such
disparities. This is particularly apparent when we examine the way in which representative
literature of the African Diaspora is digitized.This course will look at the previously mentioned issues within the context of the African
Diaspora. The course will explore the digital divide within the diasporic community, looking at
the way in which infrastructure issues, such as wireless and laptop accessibility, impact access to
information. We will then examine the way in which cultural artifacts are digitized, paying
particular attention to a diverse group of objects that represent the cultural heritage of the African
Diaspora, from Literary Renaissance, to the Slave Trade, to Resistance movements. In addition
to these explorations, we will consider the way in which community is both challenged and
expanded with such developments.
Department
EnglishCollections
Citation
Earhart, Amy (2021). ENGL 393/AFST 393: Africana Literature and Culture: Digital Diaspora. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /192640.
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