Digital Archives for Postcolonial Memory in Global History

Thesis Abstract

This study investigates how digital archives can shape postcolonial memory within global history by analyzing the curatorial practices, user engagement, and epistemic biases embedded in multilingual archival platforms. The problem addressed is the marginalization of silenced histories in conventional histories and the potential for digital infrastructures to enable more inclusive, decolonized memory practices, while also risking the replication of archival inequities. The aim is to develop a framework for designing and evaluating digital archives that foreground postcolonial perspectives, enabling equitable access, provenance-aware digitization, and collaborative historiography. Specific objectives are (1) to map existing digital archives’ governance structures, metadata schemas, and interfaces across three continents; (2) to examine how material and digital provenance, cataloguing decisions, and algorithmic recommender systems influence memory construction; (3) to assess user experiences among researchers and community stakeholders through a mixed-methods approach; (4) to test a prototype, postcolonial memory module, incorporating multilingual OCR, linked open data (LOD), and participatory metadata creation; and (5) to propose best-practice guidelines for inclusive digital archiving informed by ethical frameworks and historical-critical methods. The study employs a mixed-methods research design, combining qualitative and quantitative strands. The population comprises 24 major digital archive platforms and 12 community-led memory initiatives, selected for diverse geographic representation, institutional affiliation, and language coverage. A purposive sampling strategy identifies 8 platforms for in-depth case studies and 16 for broader survey analysis. Data collection instruments include semi-structured interviews with 40 archivists, curators, and community researchers; focus groups with 6–8 participants per case study; log-based analytics from archive interfaces (n = 2,400 user sessions); and document analyses of metadata schemas, governance policies, and digitization workflows. Validity and reliability are ensured through triangulation across documents, interviews, and user analytics, member-checking with stakeholder groups, and pilot testing of survey instruments with 30 participants. Data analysis integrates thematic analysis for qualitative interviews using NVivo 12, content analysis of metadata records, and statistical techniques including regression analysis to examine relationships between interface features and user trust (n = 2,400 sessions), and ANOVA to compare user engagement across language groups. A conceptual framework integrates postcolonial theory with information science perspectives, drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s hybridity and Edward Said’s Orientalism to interrogate memory construction, and aligns them with information behavior theory and actor-network theory to explain the co-construction of archives and memory. The study anticipates key findings (i) multilingual searchability and provenance transparency correlate with higher perceived trust and inclusivity; (ii) metadata practices significantly shape interpretive frames that foreground or marginalize postcolonial actors; (iii) participatory metadata creation increases community ownership but necessitates governance to prevent archival drift; and (iv) the prototype postcolonial memory module enhances cross-border scholarly collaboration, enabling co-authored narrative assemblages. The contribution to knowledge is threefold (a) a theoretically informed assessment of how digital archives reproduce or transform postcolonial memory within global history; (b) an empirically grounded framework for designing inclusive, ethically governed digital archives that integrate community voices and multilingual capabilities; and (c) practical guidelines and a tested prototype module (comprising multilingual OCR, linked data, and participatory metadata workflows) for scholars and memory communities. The study concludes that digital archives, when designed with explicit postcolonial criteria—provenance clarity, participatory governance, and multilingual access—can democratize historical memory and facilitate innovative scholarly collaboration across regions. Recommendations include adopting standardized provenance and metadata schemas that accommodate non-Western epistemologies, implementing governance models that balance community control with institutional stewardship, expanding multilingual NLP tools for non-Latin scripts, and fostering open, replicable evaluation metrics to monitor inclusivity, accuracy, and scholarly impact over time.