Who Did What When? Acknowledging Collaborative Contributions in Digital History Projects

Using the example of Liberated Africans (www.liberatedafricans.org/), this paper examines the difficulties of citing, and assigning credit for, highly collaborative digital humanities research projects in the context of tenure, promotion and the job market. This digital history project traces the lives of tens of thousands of individuals the British recaptured during their efforts to suppress and abolish the slave trade leaving Africa after 1807. The creation, development, release and relaunch of new versions of open source websites and digital archives sometimes build and expand upon the historiography, archival digitization efforts, metadata development, previously published datasets, and often other digital projects. The creation, expansion and relaunch of Liberated Africans would not have been possible without the international and interdisciplinary collaboration and contributions of historians, archivists, computer programmers, digital humanities centers, graduate research assistants and granting agencies. This paper discusses the collaborative process involved in the relaunch of the second version of Liberated Africans in 2018 and serves as an example of how a timestamped project history can assess and recognize individual contributions within a major digital research project which depends on the involvement and input of an interdisciplinary network. This digital project history discusses the many contributors to the historiography, efforts to digitize primary source materials, initial website design, website redevelopment and dataset contributions. It is argued that the publishing of project histories is best practice for understanding the distinction between individual research contributions and service contributions within the burgeoning area of digital humanities research. Without opportunities to publish project histories in peer reviewed journals, digital projects might not be acknowledged as meaningful research contributions and might not receive the same recognition as traditional print publications.Partant de l’exemple des Liberated Africans (www.liberatedafricans.org/), cet article examine les difficultés rencontrées pour créditer les nombreux chercheurs qui participent aux projets de recherche en humanités numériques, projets qui sont hautement collaboratifs, dans le contexte de la titularisation, de la promotion et du marché du travail. Notre projet d’histoire numérique retrace la vie de dizaines de milliers d’individus quittant l’Afrique que les Britanniques ont « recapturés » au cours de leurs efforts pour supprimer et abolir la traite des esclaves après 1807. La création, le développement, la publication et la mise à jour de nouvelles versions de sites Internet open source contribuent parfois à la construction et au développement de l’historiographie, à l’effort de numérisation des archives, au développement des métadonnées, d’ensembles de données publiés antérieurement, ainsi qu’à d’autres projets numériques. La création, le développement et la mise à jour de Liberated Africans n’auraient pas été possibles sans la collaboration et contribution, tant à l’échelle internationale que sur le plan interdisciplinaire, des historiens, archivistes, programmeurs informatiques, centres de sciences humaines numériques, assistants de recherche diplômés et organismes financeurs. Cet article examine le processus collaboratif qui a permis le lancement de la deuxième version de Liberated Africans en 2018 : cet historique de projet horodaté fait ainsi figure d’exemple de la façon dont on peut évaluer et reconnaître les contributions individuelles au sein d’un grand projet de recherche numérique impliquant la contribution d’un réseau interdisciplinaire. On s’intéresse ici à la multiplicité des contributions quant à l’historiographie, aux efforts de numérisation des matériaux sources, à la conception initiale du site Internet, à son nouveau développement et aux contributions de l’ensemble des données. Selon nous, la publication de l’historique des projets est la meilleure pratique permettant de comprendre l’articulation entre les contributions individuelles de la recherche et les contributions de services dans le domaine de la recherche en humanités numériques – un domaine en plein essor. Sans publication de cet historique dans des revues évaluées par les pairs, les projets numériques pourraient ne pas être reconnus comme des contributions significatives à la recherche et ne pas recevoir la même reconnaissance que les publications imprimées traditionnelles.A partir del ejemplo de Liberated Africans (www.liberatedafricans.org/), este artículo examina las dificultades para consignar la participación de numerosos investigadores en proyectos de investigación de humanidades digitales altamente colaborativos con vistas a la titularización, la promoción y el mercado laboral. Este proyecto de historia digital rastrea la vida de decenas de miles de personas recapturadas por los británicos mientras intentaban suprimir y abolir la trata de esclavos que salieron de África después de 1807. La creación, el desarrollo, la publicación y la actualización de nuevas versiones de sitios web y archivos digitales de código abierto constituyen a veces aportes para la historiografía, el esfuerzo de digitalización de archivos, el desarrollo de metadatos, de conjuntos de datos publicados anteriormente, así como de otros proyectos digitales. La creación, el desarrollo y la actualización de Liberated Africans no hubieran sido posibles sin la colaboración internacional e interdisciplinaria y las contribuciones de historiadores, archivistas, programadores, centros de humanidades digitales, asistentes de investigación de posgrado y agencias de subvención. Este artículo discute el proceso de colaboración que permitió el lanzamiento de la segunda versión de Liberated Africans en 2018. El repaso de la historia de un proyecto fechado sirve para ejemplificar de qué manera es posible evaluar y reconocer las contribuciones individuales dentro de un importante proyecto de investigación digital que depende de la participación y el aporte de una red interdisciplinaria. Nos interesamos aquí por la multiplicidad de las contribuciones, en términos de historiografía, los esfuerzos realizados respecto a la digitalización de materiales de fuentes primarias, el diseño inicial del sitio web, su nuevo desarrollo y las contribuciones al conjunto de los datos. Tal como se argumenta, la publicación de historias de proyectos digitales es la mejor práctica tratándose de comprender la articulación entre las contribuciones individuales de la investigación y las contribuciones de servicios dentro del área floreciente de la investigación en humanidades digitales. Sin oportunidades para publicar historias de proyectos en revistas evaluadas por pares, los proyectos digitales podrían no ser reconocidos como contribuciones de investigación significativas y podrían no recibir el mismo reconocimiento que las publicaciones impresas tradicionales.Usando o exemplo de Liberated Africans (www.liberatedafricans.org/), este artigo examina as dificuldades encontradas para creditar os investigadores que participam nos projetos de pesquisa em humanidades digitais, sendo estes projetos altamente colaborativos, no contexto da titulação, da promoção e do mercado de trabalho. Este projeto de história digital rastreia a vida de dezenas de milhares de indivíduos que deixaram a África e que os Britânicos « recapturaram » durante seus esforços para suprimir e abolir o trato de escravos depois de 1807. A criação, o desenvolvimento, a publicação e a atualização de novas versões de sites Internet open source podem contribuir para construir e desenvolver a historiografia, para reforçar a digitalização de arquivos, para o desenvolvimento dos metadados, e de conjuntos de dados publicados anteriormente, além de outros projetos digitais. A criação, o desenvolvimento e a atualização de Liberated Africans não teriam sido possíveis sem a colaboração e a contribuição, tanto na escala internacional quanto no plano interdisciplinar, de historiadores, arquivistas, programadores, centros de humanidades digitais, assistentes de investigação e agências de fomento. Este artigo examina o processo colaborativo, que permitiu o lançamento da segunda versão de Liberated Africans em 2018 : este processo serve assim como exemplo do modo como podemos avaliar e reconhecer as contribuições individuais no seio de um grande projeto de investigação digital, que envolve a contribuição de uma rede interdisciplinar. Consideramos aqui a multiplicidade das contribuições para a historiografia, os esforços de digitalização das fontes, a concepção inicial do site Internet, o seu recente desenvolvimento e as contribuições do conjunto dos dados. Conforme discutido aqui, a publicação do processo histórico dos projetos é a melhor maneira para entender a articulação entre as contribuições individuais da pesquisa e as contribuições de serviços no âmbito da pesquisa em humanidades digitais – uma área em expansão. Sem a publicação destes históricos de projetos em revistas avaliadas por duplo-cego, os projetos digitais poderiam não ser reconhecidos como contribuições significativas para a investigação, e não receber o mesmo reconhecimento que as publicações impressas tradicionais

From Sea to Sea: Canada's Three Oceans of Biodiversity

Evaluating and understanding biodiversity in marine ecosystems are both necessary and challenging for conservation. This paper compiles and summarizes current knowledge of the diversity of marine taxa in Canada's three oceans while recognizing that this compilation is incomplete and will change in the future. That Canada has the longest coastline in the world and incorporates distinctly different biogeographic provinces and ecoregions (e.g., temperate through ice-covered areas) constrains this analysis. The taxonomic groups presented here include microbes, phytoplankton, macroalgae, zooplankton, benthic infauna, fishes, and marine mammals. The minimum number of species or taxa compiled here is 15,988 for the three Canadian oceans. However, this number clearly underestimates in several ways the total number of taxa present. First, there are significant gaps in the published literature. Second, the diversity of many habitats has not been compiled for all taxonomic groups (e.g., intertidal rocky shores, deep sea), and data compilations are based on short-term, directed research programs or longer-term monitoring activities with limited spatial resolution. Third, the biodiversity of large organisms is well known, but this is not true of smaller organisms. Finally, the greatest constraint on this summary is the willingness and capacity of those who collected the data to make it available to those interested in biodiversity meta-analyses. Confirmation of identities and intercomparison of studies are also constrained by the disturbing rate of decline in the number of taxonomists and systematists specializing on marine taxa in Canada. This decline is mostly the result of retirements of current specialists and to a lack of training and employment opportunities for new ones. Considering the difficulties encountered in compiling an overview of biogeographic data and the diversity of species or taxa in Canada's three oceans, this synthesis is intended to serve as a biodiversity baseline for a new program on marine biodiversity, the Canadian Healthy Ocean Network. A major effort needs to be undertaken to establish a complete baseline of Canadian marine biodiversity of all taxonomic groups, especially if we are to understand and conserve this part of Canada's natural heritage

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 15

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Old Oyo Influences on the Transformation of Lucumí Identity in Colonial Cuba

This study examines the correlation between the expansion and collapse of the Oyo Empire, the ethnolinguistic configuration of the migration from the Bight of Benin to Cuba and transformations in the conceptual meaning of Lucumí. Much of the historiography assumes the coherence of Lucumí culture was the result of the "transculturation" or "creolization" of Oyo-centric socio-cultural repertoires in the first third of the nineteenth century, but undervalues symbolic idioms which had already consolidated in Cuba from earlier migrations largely due to Oyo expansionism. The central argument is that a smaller, but more diverse mixture of ethnolinguistic groups - directly or indirectly victimized by Oyo imperialism - established basic Lucumí socio-cultural paradigms in the mid-to-late eighteenth century which were then reinforced and transformed with the massive influx of Yoruba-speakers during Oyo's collapse (c. 1817 - 1836). The two main objectives of this study are 1) to verify that an infusion of Oyo-centric cultural repertoires into pre-existing Lucumí socio-cultural paradigms coincided with Oyo's collapse and a dramatic increase of the Bight of Benin migration to Cuba; and 2) to demonstrate that by the early-1830s Lucumí cultures of resistance in the Atlantic World helped set in motion the ethnogenesis of a transnational "pan-Yoruba" identity. In order to demonstrate this significant transformation, which is at the root of modern-day practices and beliefs of the Afro-Cuban religion commonly known as Santería, this study incorporates theoretical approaches and methodologies deriving from a diverse array of academic disciplines, including: history, anthropology, sociology, ethnology, ethnomusicology and linguistics. Primary and secondary sources include a variety of published and unpublished written and oral data originating from West Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. In particular, documented African names of people from the Bight of Benin can be used to evaluate the likely ethnolinguistic composition of the migration to Cuba; as well as the conceptual meaning of Lucumí between 1826 and 1840. A database of nearly 4,000 names (and their interpretations) has been included with this thesis as a supplementary file