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Diaspora and Digital Discourse: Papiamento/u Research in the Digital Archives of Coleccion Aruba
Bant, Jan Mijts, Eric
Scholing, Peter
Bant, Jan
Scholing, Peter
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Location research
Date
2025-02
Language
en
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Abstract
This article describes the development, scope and possibilities of the Aruban collaborative digital archive initiative Coleccion Aruba. Coleccion Aruba is an online Aruban digital hub where users can consult historical texts, videos, and images. Among other things, it comprises the digitalized databases of the Aruban National Library, the Aruban National Archive, and the Aruban Archeological Museum. In addition to Aruban documents, it hosts sources from European and regional institutes that touch on the cultural, social, and political history of Aruba and the former Netherlands Antilles. A unique feature is that many of the digitized sources are in Papiamento/u. This article first describes the history and creation of this collection. Second, it demonstrates how Coleccion Aruba has opened up new research possibilities in and about Papiamento/u, and sketches directions for future research on the basis of this collection. Lastly, it explains how the digital collection enables new and decolonial opportunities for the development of Artificial Intelligence solutions for the Papiamento/u language as well as regional and international collaborations between archives, libraries, and research institutions. Because of the scattered and diasporic nature of the Papiamento/u language community, the authors conclude that online digital collections such as this one are essential in ensuring a sustainable future for the language of Papiamento/u as well as research in and about this language.
Citation
Bant, J., Mijts, E. & Scholing, P. (2025). Diaspora and Digital Discourse: Papiamento/u Research in the Digital Archives of Coleccion Aruba. archipelagos, Issue 8.
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Archipelagos, a journal of Caribbean digital praxis
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1470