Researchers attend Conference on Electronic Literature

Aligarh: Three research scholars, Maria Shahid, Bushra Ahmad, and S. Anas Ahmad, from the Department of English, represented India and the Aligarh Muslim University in the prestigious four-day International Conference and Media Arts Festival organized by the Electronic Literature Organization. The conference was held in the historical city of Coimbra, Portugal, from July 12-15, 2023.

The annual conference organized by Electronic Literature Organisation and Centre for Portuguese Literature witnessed participation from renowned dignitaries from the emerging field of Digital Humanities and Electronic Literature and two hundred researchers and artists representing nearly forty countries.

With the expert mentorship of their supervisor, Prof. M. Rizwan Khan, the authors of the paper ventured into the intriguing world of emerging areas of AI, among others.

In their paper titled “Electronic Literature and Digital Humanities in Indian Higher Education: Perceptions, Prospects, and Challenges”, the three researchers from AMU shared insights related to Electronic Literature and Digital Humanities as an academic discipline in Higher Education in India in light of existing technological divides within the country and also in contrast with the Euro - American academia. They advocated for establishing an Indian Chapter of ELO and forging deeper connections between the East, and the West of this emerging and exciting field termed E-Lit and Digital Humanities.

Their paper was an extension to the inputs and findings made post the Global Initiative of Academic Networks course on Electronic Literature and AI organized by Aligarh Muslim University under the guidance of Prof. M. Rizwan Khan.

The overarching objective of their study was to align their research findings with the "Digital India" initiative of the Govt of India, parallel to the proposals made by the National Education Policy.

During the presentation, they also proposed to have the next ELO conference in India to collaborate and research Indian Digital Humanities based on Indian texts and develop indigenous tools and software in line with the Honorable Prime Minister's call for 'Make in India' and 'Vocal for Local'.

Maria and S Anas participated in person while Bushra joined the conference virtually.

The conference advocated dismantling economic, political, linguistic, and cultural barriers, focusing on the relationship between art and society and the subversive potential of electronic literature.

Notably, ELO ‘23 was held in the national monument, Convento São Francisco, overlooking the University of Coimbra and Coimbra’s Uptown and Downtown areas, both designated World Heritage by UNESCO in 2013.

Challenging the social asymmetry represented by the uptown/downtown divide, ELO23 was extended from the university to the city center. Performances were opened to the public, and exhibitions took place at different locations in the city, thus integrating the ELO Conference into Coimbra’s rich cultural life.