Digital Ethnic Futures

DEFCon’s principal investigators are Dr. Roopika Risam (Salem State University), Dr. Sonya Donaldson (New Jersey City University), Dr. Jamila Moore Pewu (California State University, Fullerton), Dr. Toniesha Taylor (Texas Southern University), and Dr. Keja Valens (Salem State University). Please visit our Team page to learn more about the people behind DEFCon.

Brought together by our work on The Digital Black Atlantic (University of Minnesota Press, 2021), co-edited by Roopika Risam and Kelly Baker Josephs, we are committed to sharing resources with and building a community of digital humanities practitioners whose work engages in ethnic studies fields. As faculty who work at institutions focused on undergraduate education, we are invested in supporting the work of graduate students, faculty, and librarians who are integrating digital humanities into their undergraduate teaching in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American studies. Equally important is our investment in developing ethical digital humanities initiatives that work with community partners to promote justice and equity in the digital cultural record. Please visit our About page to learn more about DEFCon.

With the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, DEFCon will disburse over $300,000 in grants to faculty and librarians at regional public colleges and universities to support course and curriculum development from 2021-2024. Over $275,000 will compensate mentors to support grant recipients. Please visit our Grants page for details and upcoming deadlines.

DEFCon organizes a speaker series, networking events, and a virtual annual meeting featuring workshops and presentations by consortium members. Please check out our Events page to learn about our upcoming events. We warmly welcome suggestions for events and opportunities for partnership or co-sponsorship. To suggest an event or explore a co-sponsorship or partnership, please contact DEFCon Consortium Director Roopika Risam at digitalethnicfutures [at] gmail [dot] com.