Digital humanities and social justice: a case-based approach

Issues of Social Justice, broadly conceived, are increasingly being included as a component in digital humanities (DH) scholarship or are the reason d'etre of the research itself. Equally, issues of ethics, privacy, and copyright are taking on greater prominence in DH scholarship. This article focuses on the creation of a course for the #dariahTeach platform, Social Justice in the DH. This case-based course features a variety of scholarship, methods, theories, and communities and practices from around the globe that do research at the intersections of social justice and the DH. The article problematizes some of the issues and challenges of working within a social justice framework, highlights existing best practice, and explores issues of ethics, privacy, and copyright within the projects which differ, depending, not only on legal, but on moral frameworks. The additional duty of care when developing and disseminating content created by or about marginalised, indigenous, or minority populations, and/or those whose ethics and traditions differ from dominant western values is also highlighted. And lastly, the importance of taking these factors into account when conducting research in reparative ways, particularly in the context of contested histories and/or material cultures is considered.