Lorella Viola: Power, Language, and Access, The Role of Multilingualism in Digital Production

Описание: Global Approaches to Multilingual Data Practices and Digital Humanities

On December 3rd, 2024, Lorella Viola explored how power structures embedded in technology shape the production and accessibility of digital knowledge, focusing on the persistent dominance of monolingualism—particularly Anglocentrism. The production and management of digital knowledge are shaped by power structures embedded in technology, influencing who produces digital knowledge, who can access it, and how such access is experienced. The foundational power structure in digital knowledge production – digital access – also includes the number and range of languages in which digital content is available. A key issue is the persistent dominance of monolingualism—particularly Anglocentrism—which restricts participation in digital knowledge creation, exacerbates societal inequalities, and risks cultural homogenization by alienating non-native speakers and underrepresenting diverse languages and histories. In this presentation, I argue for the critical role of multilingualism in digital research. Drawing on personal case studies and applied contexts such as digital heritage, text mining, and social media, I demonstrate how multilingual DH reshapes digital practices in the humanities and social sciences while navigating the technical and cultural challenges and opportunities at their intersection.

About the Speaker

Dr Lorella Viola is Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities & Society at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In her research, she develops innovative digital humanities methodologies to investigate how power, latent assumptions and implicit ideologies are manifested through language and circulated in media and society, including digital heritage practices. She also researches the impact of the digital transformation of society on knowledge creation theory and practice.