Exploring the Early Caribbean Digital Archive: A Treasure Trove for Family and Historical Research

Dis a fi mi History Podcast

Welcome to the Dis A Fi mi History Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the rich world of the Early Caribbean Digital Archive (ECDA) with the insights of Professors Nicole Aljo and Elizabeth Dillon, alongside their dedicated team.

We explore the origins and objectives of the ECDA, a publicly accessible archive platform that houses a vast collection of pre-20th century Caribbean materials. Learn about their mission to decolonize and democratize knowledge by surfacing hidden narratives, such as those of enslaved individuals, embedded within historical texts.

The team also shares their experiences and methodologies in curating and digitizing these invaluable resources, offering a glimpse into some fascinating exhibits like Obeah practices and Jamaican Heirs. Discover how you can navigate the archive, contribute to ongoing projects, and even use these resources for family research and educational purposes.

Join us for a compelling discussion on the importance of preserving and accessing Caribbean history, both for understanding our past and informing our present.

If you enjoy this episode, please like, follow, subscribe, and write a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Bios:

Dr. Aljoe is a Professor of English and Africana Studies at Northeastern University. Professor Aljoe’s research focuses on 18th and early 19th Century Black Atlantic and Caribbean literature with a specialization on the slave narrative and early novels. Currently, she is at work on two new projects that extend this research in productive ways: the first examines representations of Caribbean Women of Color produced in Europe and England between 1780 and 1840, and the second explores relationships between narratives of black lives and the rise of the novel in Europe and the Americas in the 18th century.

Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Nicole-N-Aljoe/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ANicole+N.+Aljoe

Elizabeth Maddock Dillon is a distinguished professor of English at Northeastern University and the founding codirector of the NULab for Maps, Texts, and Networks. She teaches in the fields of early American and Atlantic world literary studies, literature and social justice, theatre studies, gender studies, and digital humanities.

Book

https://www.dukeupress.edu/new-world-drama

Reba Charles-Dickson PhD Student Northeastern University and the Project Manager for Early Caribbean Digital Archive

Reba Charles-Dickson is from Dennery, St. Lucia. She was first introduced to the indigenous and Black “monster” during her Social- Studies class, where she was always conflicted with this categorization. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Virgin Islands and a Master of Arts from Florida Atlantic University, where among other things, she continued to explore the “monster” characterization of Les Damnés de la Terre. Currently, Reba is an English PhD student at Northeastern University where she serves as the Project Manager for the Early Caribbean Digital Archive (ECDA), Managing Editor for Digital Humanities Quarterly (DHQ), and a Coordinator for the Women of Color in the Academy (WOCIA).

Book review: https://journal.finfar.org/articles/book-review-afrofuturism-rising/

Alanna Prince's research focuses on contemporary poetry and visual culture and how those works remember, or 'take up,' the history of chattel slavery in the Caribbean and the Americas. Her work is informed by Black feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and archival theory. She has been involved with the Early Caribbean Digital Archive since 2017. In 2022, she edited a special issue of Digital Humanities Quarterly with Cara Messina and Izetta Mobley on Black Digital Humanities. Edited Special Issue: https://digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/16/3/000645/000645.html

Website: https://ecda.northeastern.edu/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fji_-yfxXvo

Follow: Twitter: https://twitter.com/eppinghall?lang=el

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berkshirehalleppingpress/

Morning Journal Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXMTL3NV

Genealogy Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NRHG3M3

Prayer Journal: https://a.co/d/bfSdIl0

Devotional Journal: https://a.co/d/8K3C8Hk

Theme Music "Africa" is modern ethnic track with fresh chords, African vocal, orchestra. License Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

#history #familyresearch #familyhistory #slavery #colonialhistory # #CaribbeanHistory #Research #genealogy #podcast #geneticgenealogy