Digital Humanities in the India Rim: Contemporary Scholarship in Australia and India

This varied collection delves into illuminating examples of Digital Humanities research and practice and seeks to understand the shared challenges as well as the points of similarity and difference currently being undertaken by academics in India and Australia. From the influence of Netflix on International Relations to contemporary digital adaptations of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, via detours into erobotics (empathic robots) and the cultural specificity of online dating, these essays convey the distinctive breadth and imagination of research in this field.

Digital Humanities is a relatively new discipline in the India Rim, and this novelty has created space for innovative research ideas as well as the use of traditional methodologies and software in different ways within these unique cultural spaces that could potentially influence how Digital Humanities is conceptualised internationally. For example, drawing on Indian classical logic leads to novel designs and applications of computation.

This lively volume offers a fresh look at the Digital Humanities and an important overview of the work taking place in a region other than the Western countries that typically dominate the field. It has much to offer both experienced researchers and those new to the Digital Humanities.

Dr Hart Cohen is Professor in Media Arts in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts and a member of the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. He is currently the University's Discipline Leader for Communication and Media. Dr Cohen has published widely in the field of visual anthropology, communications, film and media studies and directed three Australian Research Council Projects related to the Strehlow Collection. Three films have been made in relation to these projects: Mr. Strehlow's Films (SBSi 2001) and Cantata Journey (ABC TV 2006) Ntaria Heroes (2016). Dr Cohen is co-author of the award-winning book, Screen Media Arts: An Introduction to Concepts and Practices (Oxford University Press 2009) and editor of the Global Media Journal (Australian Edition (2007- present) (https: //www.hca.westernsydney.edu.au/gmjau/). His most recent book is The Strehlow Archive: Explorations in Old and New Media (Routledge 2018).

Dr Myra Gurney is a Senior Lecturer in Professional Writing, Communication and Media in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts at Western Sydney University, Australia. Her PhD research into the Australian political response to climate change has been published in several books and journals including Global Crisis: Media, War, Climate, and Politics (Kamalipour & Pavlik, 2023). Dr Gurney has co-authored a foundational communication textbook, Communicating as Professionals (2024, 4e, Cengage) and is a member of the editorial panel of the Global Media Journal (Australian Edition (2007- present) (https: //www.hca.westernsydney.edu.au/gmjau/).

Professor Ujjwal Jana is the Indian Principal Investigator of the ongoing collaborative Project on "Indian-European entanglements: exploring transcultural relationships through Digital Humanities", with Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities Ghent University, Belgium funded by the Ministry of Education, Govt of India (2023-2025). Professor Jana has edited an anthology on Digital Culture in Humanities: Contemporary Trends published by ABS Books, a Delhi-based publishing house in January 2023.