Author Identifier

Paul Longley Arthur: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1494-0533

Isabel Smith: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8356-6410

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Title

Digitising Heritage: TransOceanic Connections Between Australia and Europe

Volume

25

Issue

1

Publisher

Heidelberg University Publishing

School

School of Arts and Humanities

RAS ID

76465

Comments

Longley, A., & Smith, I. (2024). Digital representations of slavery in Australia: Navigating heritage, identity and power. In C. Wergin & S. Affeldt (Eds.), Digitising heritage: Transoceanic connections between Australia and Europe (Vol. 4, pp. 47–62). Heidelberg University Publishing. https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.1305.c18418

Abstract

The digitisation of exhibitions and collections has dramatically expanded access to and forms of cultural heritage, while also raising many questions around the power relations that underlie the production of this heritage. Whose heritage is being digitised, by whom, and for whom is it being recorded and represented? Such questions are especially pronounced in digital museum spaces facing issues of race and empire. Exhibitions on slavery in particular, which have proliferated across the globe since a 'slavery memory' boom in the late twentieth century and intersected with the digitisation of museums, underscore the tensions between contemporary politics, new forms of cultural heritage-making, and the colonial origins and frameworks of museums. This paper reflects upon the development and early conceptual phases of an online exhibition exploring legacies of slavery in Australia. Looking at the complex relationships and responsibilities between individuals, communities and institutions, this paper also explores explores evolving approaches to community engagement, audience contributions, and the question of the democratisation of content through digital and online storytelling. It considers the ways that selections in voice, medium, space and audience interact with ongoing and complex connections with British culture and heritage, to produce specific representations of slavery and forms of heritage in Australia. These differing forms intersect with and hold significant implications for Australian identities, contemporary politics, and lived realities.

DOI

10.17885/heiup.1305.c18418

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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