This two-day event is the first Galway Digital Cultures Initiative conference, and will take place at the National University of Ireland, Galway, 11-12 May 2017. The conference is hosted by the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Studies.
The event focuses on the various contexts for the production, dissemination and reception of digital literature in its different forms, as well as the cultural, national, geographical and institutional settings within which digital literary practice takes place. How do the transnational, technological and aesthetic aspects of digital literature manifest themselves in specific works, at particular historical moments? How do global networks adapt to local circumstances? How do new and experimental forms of literary and artistic expression challenge or accommodate national traditions and canons? What is the relationship between individual talents, literary communities and institutional frameworks in the new media environments of the twenty-first century?
The conference is funded by the Irish Research Council and the European Commission via Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
Odile Farge, in her paper “In the beginning was the software tool…” will question the role of Digital Literature through the prism of Digital Humanism. Humanism is primarily a critical posture that can not be separated from freedom of expression or creativity. The recognition of cultural diversity gives lights on the humanistic vision that bears the digital literature and show how critical and pedagogical approach is essential to be aware of the rhetorical, defend and carry the values and humanism of the digital model. In this context, she will base her communication on the research she conducted on Digital Humanism and her interviews with authors of digital literature where she surveyed their perceptions and practices. Finally, Odile Farge will give an illustration with the pedagogical experience within two african workshops conducted in Ghana and Benin on May 2016.