DHSI-East

DHSI-EAST

Tuesday May 5th to Friday May 8th 2026

Join us in person Tuesday, May 5th to Friday, May 8th 2026, at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia for DHSI-East. Hosted by St. Francis Xavier University's Digital Humanities Centre. Faculty, staff, students, and all interested welcome.

Registration will open January 2026

Participants will be able to choose one of three workshop options this year:

1. Project Management in the Humanities
2. Research Data Management for Humanities Researchers
3. Digital Publishing in the Humanities Classroom

These workshops run concurrently over four days, so it is not possible to attend them all.

Workshop Option 1: "Project Management in the Humanities"

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Guiliano, Professor of History, Indiana University

Max Participants: 15

Workshop Option 2: "Research Data Management for Humanities Researchers"

Instructors:
Shahira Khair, University of Victoria Libraries
Sandra Sawchuck, Mount Saint Vincent Libraries

This intensive four-day hands-on workshop is designed for humanities researchers who want to actively apply best practices in research data management in their own research projects. Recognizing the unique and diverse nature of humanities data—from digitized texts and images, to audio recordings and cultural artifacts—the workshop provides practical, actionable strategies across the entire research data lifecycle, from initial planning to long-term preservation and reuse. 

This is a “bring your own data” workshop! Participants should arrive with the research materials they are seeking help in managing. This can be from an existing project or one you are just embarking on! (And we can point you in some directions if you are looking for data!)

Participants will gain proficiency in developing comprehensive Data Management Plans (DMPs), essential for navigating funder requirements (e.g. SSHRC, NEH) and streamlining project workflows. Through practical exercises, the curriculum emphasizes effective organization and documentation of research materials, use of software for analysis and automation, and the critical role of metadata in ensuring data discoverability and long-term reusability. Sessions will cover secure storage solutions and long-term preservation techniques to safeguard valuable research materials.

A significant focus is placed on the ethical dimensions inherent in many research areas in the humanities, addressing sensitive data, informed consent, use of AI, and the crucial principles of cultural sensitivity and Indigenous data sovereignty. The workshop also guides researchers through strategic data sharing by exploring appropriate repositories (disciplinary and generalist), applying robust curation practices, and navigating licensing and persistent identifiers to maximize research impact and compliance with evolving funder and publisher requirements. Upon completion, attendees will be empowered to confidently manage, preserve, and ethically share their research, enhancing the integrity, accessibility, and scholarly impact of their work.

Max Participants: 25

Workshop Option 3: "Research Data Management for Humanities Researchers"

Instructors:
Dr. Andie Silva, Professor of English (York College) and Digital Humanities (CUNY Graduate Center)
zelda montes, CUNY Graduate Center

This workshop will explore best practices for immersing students in archival, editorial, and analytical practices that privilege agency, self-discovery, and research-driven writing. Using approaches and tools such as TEI, Scalar, and Hypothesis, we will discuss how to scope, support, and evaluate projects that incorporate digital publishing into a variety of teaching environments. Discussion will be oriented around how to approach public-facing student projects in ways that are mindful of ethical, privacy, and accessibility considerations. Participants will collaborate on designing and scaffolding assignments, consider methods for assessment, and collectively build a repository of resources, links, and prompts.

Max Participants: 25

Keynote Lecture: Dr. Susan Brown, University of Guelph

“‘Show Your Work’: Linking, Platforming, and Deplatforming for the Future of Born-Digital Scholarship”

As we absorb the magnitude of detrimental effects--personal, environment, economic, and ethical--of web

platforms and black-box technologies, we must consider the implications of digital research infrastructure for

the humanities. The minimal computing movement's regard for global economic disparity advocates static web

sites over platforms. Enthusiasm for static sites has only grown as the challenges of sustaining born-digital

websites have become increasingly evident. As DH increasingly goes static, the FAIR data principles for

research data as linked open data are vital to ensuring that sites are Findable and Accessible as well as

Interoperable and Reusable. However, the infrastructure that supports FAIR data assumes static or print-legacy

data, rather than living knowledge online. From a data feminist standpoint, this talk explores tensions arising

within the infrastructural landscape for born-digital scholarship considering labour, ethics, sustainability, and

the impacts of openness in a knowledge environment dominated by AI.

This keynote is free and open to the public. 

Staying in Antigonish

Please visit the Visit Antigonish website to see a list of all Accommodation in the area.

Canadian Certificate in Digital Humanities

DHSI-East can count towards The Canadian Certificate in Digital Humanities/Certificat canadien en Humanités Numériques(24 workshop hours). For more information on the certificate, please see the website: ccdhhn.ca.

Credits

DHSI-East is part of the international DH Training Network and takes its name from DHSI, the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (University of Victoria). DHSI-East is supported by funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.

This event and the travel grants are made possible by SSHRC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The DHSI-East 2026 organizing team is Laura Estill (English, StFX), Margaret Vail (StFX, Librarian), Meghan Landry (ACENET), and Abby Ives (StFX, Research Assistant).

For information on past DHSI-East training events, see our archive page.