The digital humanities projects below were produced by Duke University undergraduate students in History and Create Caribbean graduate interns at Dominica State College as part of a transnational digital initiative in Caribbean Studies. The projects invited students to collaborate with peers across national borders working on similar topics within the field, such as the environment and Maroon and plantation history. Over the course of a semester, students in Laurent Dubois’s Modern Caribbean History course at Duke and in Schuyler Esprit’s Digital Humanities Research course at Dominica State College joined each other’s classrooms via video conference, compared learning environments, studied similar theoretical and methodological approaches, conceived of new projects for the Create Caribbean Digital Research Project Library, collaborated on ongoing Carisealand projects, and blogged about their experiences.
The Significance of Unburnable by Autumn Barnes
Antiguan author Marie-Elena John’s critically acclaimed novel Unburnable, named “Best Debut of 2006” by Black Issues Book Review, follows the lives of three Dominican women. Having a geographic representation of the novel whilst reading helps make sense of its non-linear flow and offers more concrete depictions of the lives of the three woman and Dominica itself.
Air Pollution in Trinidad by Syann Cadogan
A History of Guantanamo and U.S. Imperial Power by Edgar Cerenord
This map shows several important, historical events discussed in the book, Guantanamo: A Working-Class History between Empire and Revolution, by Jana Lipman. Also included is information about the Caribbean sea migration, specifically the Haitian and Cuban refugees. Lipman’s book chronicles the history of Guantanamo Bay and U.S. imperial power in the region, and the things that the United States got away with because they were on "foreign soil.”
Building a Sustainable Future for Mahaut by Paul Chen
The small town of Mahaut in southwestern Dominica is a microcosm of the foundational and environmental issues that plague the island after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. The construction and layout of Mahaut are rife with infrastructural inefficiencies, such as residential overcrowding and severely congested roads. In response, NGOs such as Create Caribbean have offered new, exciting ways to bring sustainability and environmental efficiency to the island. With its program, The Lab, Create Caribbean is utilizing mapping technology to develop a visual conception of a better structured and more sustainable Mahaut — one that can thrive even in the aftermath of destruction such as that of Hurricane Maria. Its grand goal is to use this project to craft a grant proposal to the Dominican government for the funding of Mahaut’s construction.
Literary Map by Amelia Klitenic and Sami Kirkpatrick
A literary map for the Imagined Homeland Project in Wide Sargasso Sea, the 1966 novel by Jean Rhys.
Aid in Haiti by SarahAnne Perel and Madeline Halpert
Lionfish in the Caribbean by Meghan Pearson
A Microhistory of Dominica by Alyssa Perez
This timeline uses the Maroon Country Archives' Dispatches from State 1813 Collection to provide a microhistory of Dominica under British colonial rule. While life for the Maroons and enslaved peoples was threatened throughout 1813, these documents failed to reveal that history. This collection highlights the information that can be left out of documents and forgotten due to the writers of what make up history. Although we get a picture of colonial economic life, we must look further in order to understand the effect of colonial power on those who weren’t granted the power to write their own histories.
Models for Development by Ivan Robles
Development in Jamaica by Ysanne Spence and Allona Walker
Utilizing Google Earth Engine and StoryMap.JS, this interactive path takes the user through a chronological map of Jamaica’s development through the years in five geographic locations. The aim of this project is to show the physical as well as anthropocentric changes that happen independently of one another in the same country. This project will also show that these independent occurrences create unique histories and spaces vastly different from those on opposite ends of the islands. In addition, it will serve to provide insight about the current plights in these areas and shed light on what the government is (or is not) doing to rectify the situations and the future consequences of previous bad actions.
Dominica in the Age of Climate Change by Anna Steltenkamp
NGOs in Puerto Rico by Victoria Verzi
The purpose of this research project is to map the locations of NGOs in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. This list is compiled of organizations that were recommended by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other influential sites. Through extensive research, locations have been found for many of the NGOs. However, for most sites it is unclear how much work was done in each location or what the time frame of the projects were. There are also several organizations that did not have information on their locations. These organizations have been left off of the map and are only included in this list.
Chelsea Bertrand
Coral Reefs and Climate Change by Dinelle Dailey
Melissa Encarnacion
Community Poverty and Environmental Justice by Kodie Jean-Jacques
Preservation of Culture and Heritage in Dominica by Rhesa Lawrence
Impact of Climate Change on Dominica's Eco-Tourism by Serena Maxwell
Quisha Pascal
Climate Change Effects on Caribbean Forests and Wildlife Biodiversity by Shalian Shaw
Agrimap: A Project on Food Security in Dominica by Kieron Clunes
Red Cross in Dominica by Tracey Daway
How Secure is Your Water by Alina Esprit
The Age of Climate Change in Dominica by Abiyomhi Joseph
Cost of Living and Climate Change in Salisbury, Dominica by Alaina Mathew
Laws for Environmental Preservation in Dominica by Ashante Matthew
Twenty Years of Hurricanes by Jerelle O'Brien
"