A Vision for a Digital Humanities Center: Bringing My Ethics of Care and Cyborg Repair to the Cultural Unconscious

Digital Humanities (DH) and Health Humanities (HH) are often treated as distinct domains, yet their intersections reveal profound opportunities for innovation and transformation. An aspirational university’s DH Center could provide an unparalleled platform for integrating these fields, guided by a vision that embraces care, connection, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This Center could serve as a hub for exploring the ethics of technology, the power of narrative, and the promise of humanist inquiry in addressing the complexities of the contemporary world.

AI Rendering of my Aspirational DH/HH Center

Bridging Health and Digital Humanities

Health Humanities emphasizes the relational and ethical dimensions of health, exploring how literature, art, and philosophy illuminate the human condition. Digital Humanities, meanwhile, brings computational tools and digital frameworks to bear on traditional humanities questions, expanding the scope of inquiry while introducing new challenges. Together, these fields can address pressing questions: How do digital tools transform our understanding of care? How can narrative practices in HH be amplified through DH platforms? And how might these intersections offer new insights into human identity and well-being?

The aspirational DH Center would embody these synergies. Drawing on my vision for a Health Humanities Center, it would emphasize care as a foundational principle. As outlined in my essay, "A Vision for an Aspirational Health Humanities Center at an Aspirational University," such a space would foster inclusion, equity, and innovation. Similarly, as I argue in "What Digital Humanities Ought to Be," DH must move beyond technical expertise to engage deeply with ethical and philosophical questions. By combining these perspectives, the DH Center would be uniquely positioned to explore the ethical dimensions of digital tools and their applications in health and beyond.

The Ethics of Cyborgian Care

At the heart of this integration lies the ethics of cyborgian care—a framework I propose in "The Ethics of Cyborgian Care." This approach recognizes the hybrid nature of human existence in an age of AI, digital media, and advanced technologies. A DH Center grounded in this ethic would explore how digital and human elements coalesce in caregiving, creativity, and scholarship. It would ask: How can we design technologies that enhance, rather than diminish, our capacity for empathy and connection? How can digital platforms honor the complexities of human experience while addressing issues of accessibility, equity, and justice?

The ethics of cyborgian care provides a lens through which to evaluate and design DH initiatives. For example, projects could include digital archives that center marginalized voices, platforms for collaborative storytelling in health contexts, and AI-driven tools that prioritize relationality and ethical engagement. Such endeavors would demonstrate how DH can be a force for good, aligning technical innovation with humanist values.

The Authors of Silence: A Creative Vision

A DH Center with this ethos could also host transformative cultural productions, such as The Authors of Silence, a course and potential performance that examines trauma, narrative, and ethical responsibility. By bringing this project to life, the Center could explore how narrative art fosters resilience and connection, amplifying its impact through digital tools. A production of The Authors of Silence could involve interactive digital elements, such as immersive storytelling platforms or VR experiences that allow audiences to engage deeply with its themes. This would exemplify how DH can enhance the humanities’ ability to address critical issues while fostering creativity and collaboration.

A Hub for Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The aspirational DH Center would not only integrate HH and DH but also serve as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration across fields such as philosophy, computer science, and the arts. It would support research and teaching that emphasize care, inclusion, and innovation, encouraging students and scholars to engage with complex questions about technology, ethics, and the human experience. By fostering partnerships within and beyond the university, the Center would exemplify the transformative potential of the humanities in the digital age.

Conclusion

An aspirational university’s DH Center can be more than a space for technical innovation; it can be a crucible for ethical reflection, creative exploration, and human connection. By integrating the principles of Health Humanities, the ethics of cyborgian care, and a forward-thinking vision for Digital Humanities, such a Center would position the university as a leader in addressing the challenges and opportunities of our time. Through initiatives like The Authors of Silence and beyond, it would demonstrate how the humanities, in their digital and embodied forms, remain vital to understanding and improving the world.