On the Responsibility to Implement the Perspective of the People in Focus of (Digital) Projects

Digital Humanities can be seen as the sum of all attempts to use digital technology in the discourses of the Humanities (cf. Thaller 2017: 13). The Humanities are different disciplines that are engaged in studies of human societies and cultures. With the European colonization, Eurocentric studies on other peoples began almost simultaneously – knowledge (even though when very general and prejudiced) on the Other was an important tool in order to use and assimilate the Indigenous peoples in the colonies. More recent editions of these “studies” or manuscripts annotate almost exclusively old place names or old ethnonyms. The content – the observations and comments on Indigenous life, beliefs and practices – is often taken over as a fact. In point of fact, what is written is always an interpretation of what has been observed, and influenced by the social, ethical and educational background of the author (cf. Becker 1955: 336; Trigger 1989: 3). How can the Digital Humanities contribute to a research culture that involves the perspectives of the people who are subject of the studies in the Humanities? The answer is collaboration and intercultural exchange. No matter on which human community we do research (Indigenous, religious, sexual, etc.) – if we are not part of this community, we have to make sure to collaborate intensely with community members because only their perspective can bring us closer to a potentially valid result. This lecture aims to show how the Digital Humanities can take over a leading role in decolonizing methodologies. The examples we give are the result of a long-lasting collaboration between the Atikamekw First Nation and a German researcher.