CALL FOR PAPERS:
DIGITAL HUMANITIES AND THE FUTURE OF CHRONICLING THE AFRICAN PAST

The incoming editors of History in Africa are inaugurating thematic issues as part of a new feature highlighting how Africanists are engaging with key trends in history and methods.

For the initial themed volume, History in Africa is seeking contributions on the intersection of the study of Africa and the burgeoning field of Digital Humanities. This open call will serve as a bridge to the special section on “Digital History in African Studies” featuring articles on digitizing archives and teaching in the 2020 volume of History in Africa.

Digital Humanities may be understood broadly as the use of computing technologies to examine and analyze history, culture, and the arts. However, scholars and activists have debated that definition and the politics of using Digital Humanities for digital archives, websites, on-line exhibits, published research, and teaching. As Digital Humanities Centers and projects have proliferated, scholars have also raised questions about how race, diversity, and inclusivity relate to the shaping, practice, and funding of this new field. Thus, the organisers are interested in how Digital Humanities in African history affects methodological approaches, historiography, and public engagement with history.

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You are invited to contribute papers that address African history and the Digital Humanities in relation to methods, source analysis, historiographical debate, audiences, and tools. The organisers will also accept proposals for a new section on “Interview with an Archivist” as an update to the section on “Archival Reports.”

Possible topics include:

• Politics of digitizing archives
• The creation of new public histories
• Technology and the transformation of the profession
• Bridging African and African diaspora history (of particular interest are projects that move beyond slavery and the slave trade)
• Developing new modes and tools for research and writing
• Public engagement with African history in the age of social media
• Digitally chronicling the local
• Challenges of Digital Humanities in African institutions

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit a 500 word abstract and a 2-page CV to managingeditor@historyinafrica.org by December 15, 2019. By January 15, authors will be notified whether to submit a full article for peer review by April 01, 2020. Please note that invitations to submit articles for peer review do not guarantee publication.

For more information, please check Cambridge University Press here and here

Any queries should be addressed to managingeditor@historyinafrica.org

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Categories: Calls for & opportunities, Research, Studies, Teaching

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