Commodity Histories 1800-2000. A Gateway to Digital Resources
Lead Research Organisation:
The Open University
Department Name: History
Abstract
The Commodities Gateway is an on-line research resource, providing the user with access from a single platform to an extensive range of digital materials relating to the history of commodities originating in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. These are regions whose global economic significance, based largely on the continuing production of and trade in commodities, is set to rise over the next few decades; yet they are currently under-represented in both scholarly historical research and public information available on the internet. The Gateway project and the external partnerships it will engage in will seek to contribute to redressing this situation.
The Gateway will embody new ways of working that will enhance both research creativity and public access. Hosted on the Open University's web server, the web-based platform will present users with a map-based interface comprising GIS-enabled visualisation of the data and a flexible federated search facility linking the Gateway to other archival and library catalogues. This will enable them to access a wide range of documents, either internally available or externally linked; the Gateway will provide open access to these resources, together with an original capacity for non-linear navigation and exploration, as it is one of the projects chosen for 'linked data' technology experimentation by the OU's Knowledge Media Institute in the context of the latter's JISC-funded 'Linking University Content for Education and Research Online' (LUCERO) project. While the long-term intention is to include a broad range of commodities, the Gateway will initially concentrate on four historically significant ones, cotton, silk, sugar and tobacco. In addition, it will use the interactive and networking possibilities of the digital medium to enable researchers to produce collaborative on-line essays on these commodities. Finally, through external partnerships with the British Library and Oxfam Education, the project will identify further crucial sources to be digitised in the context of the former's long-term digitisation strategy for dispersed Indian archival collections, and contribute to the latter's new departure in its UK educational work with schools through the use of digital media.
The Gateway will be developed through the setting up of a research network via two workshops (School of Advanced Studies, London, September 2011 and International Institute for Social History, Amsterdam, June 2012) that will bing together digital humanities scholars, commodities historians, external collaborators from the British Library and Oxfam Education, and representatives from interested museums. The network will enable the sharing of state-of-the-art knowledge on the application of digital technologies to humanities/historical projects focused on the non-European world, promote interactions across a range of boundaries (disciplinary, national, higher education/public sector), and fine tune the modalities of the envisaged external partnerships. Throughout the period of the award, there will also be ongoing development of the Gateway website and platform led by the co-ordinator. This will culminate in the public launch of the project in September 2012.
The Gateway will embody new ways of working that will enhance both research creativity and public access. Hosted on the Open University's web server, the web-based platform will present users with a map-based interface comprising GIS-enabled visualisation of the data and a flexible federated search facility linking the Gateway to other archival and library catalogues. This will enable them to access a wide range of documents, either internally available or externally linked; the Gateway will provide open access to these resources, together with an original capacity for non-linear navigation and exploration, as it is one of the projects chosen for 'linked data' technology experimentation by the OU's Knowledge Media Institute in the context of the latter's JISC-funded 'Linking University Content for Education and Research Online' (LUCERO) project. While the long-term intention is to include a broad range of commodities, the Gateway will initially concentrate on four historically significant ones, cotton, silk, sugar and tobacco. In addition, it will use the interactive and networking possibilities of the digital medium to enable researchers to produce collaborative on-line essays on these commodities. Finally, through external partnerships with the British Library and Oxfam Education, the project will identify further crucial sources to be digitised in the context of the former's long-term digitisation strategy for dispersed Indian archival collections, and contribute to the latter's new departure in its UK educational work with schools through the use of digital media.
The Gateway will be developed through the setting up of a research network via two workshops (School of Advanced Studies, London, September 2011 and International Institute for Social History, Amsterdam, June 2012) that will bing together digital humanities scholars, commodities historians, external collaborators from the British Library and Oxfam Education, and representatives from interested museums. The network will enable the sharing of state-of-the-art knowledge on the application of digital technologies to humanities/historical projects focused on the non-European world, promote interactions across a range of boundaries (disciplinary, national, higher education/public sector), and fine tune the modalities of the envisaged external partnerships. Throughout the period of the award, there will also be ongoing development of the Gateway website and platform led by the co-ordinator. This will culminate in the public launch of the project in September 2012.
Planned Impact
Beyond the academic world, the Gateway project will potentially benefit libraries (including archives), museums, as well as NGOs concerned with fair trade issues affecting the developing world, and that carry out awareness-raising educational work on these issues in the UK.
Following productive conversations with these organisations, the Gateway project will embark on collaborations with the British Library and Oxfam Education.
The British Library is currently developing a long-term digitisation programme for dispersed Indian archival collections around the broad theme of ' science and the changing environment in India 1780-1920' and it is envisaged that the research of Gateway project scholars will identify many of the relevant collections and sources to be digitised. Potential impacts that might arise from this are
-providing expert knowledge on crucial collections and sources to be digitised
-long-term engagement with education institutions in India, thus strengthening international relationships
Oxfam Education aims to introduce a global dimension to classroom education so as to help school students understand their world and make a positive difference to it. Discussions have focused on collaboration in jointly identifying digitised resources relevant to the thematic areas of 'fair trade', 'food' and 'global conflicts' arising from the competition for certain commodities. These will be primarily targeted at 16+ students. Potential impacts might include
-using digital media to raise classroom awareness of how food is produced and consumed globally in the contemporary world, and of associated sustainability issues
-using digital technologies to set up joint projects involving schools in the UK and in the developing world
-developing the knowledge and experience of Oxfam educators, particularly in relation to digital media
Following productive conversations with these organisations, the Gateway project will embark on collaborations with the British Library and Oxfam Education.
The British Library is currently developing a long-term digitisation programme for dispersed Indian archival collections around the broad theme of ' science and the changing environment in India 1780-1920' and it is envisaged that the research of Gateway project scholars will identify many of the relevant collections and sources to be digitised. Potential impacts that might arise from this are
-providing expert knowledge on crucial collections and sources to be digitised
-long-term engagement with education institutions in India, thus strengthening international relationships
Oxfam Education aims to introduce a global dimension to classroom education so as to help school students understand their world and make a positive difference to it. Discussions have focused on collaboration in jointly identifying digitised resources relevant to the thematic areas of 'fair trade', 'food' and 'global conflicts' arising from the competition for certain commodities. These will be primarily targeted at 16+ students. Potential impacts might include
-using digital media to raise classroom awareness of how food is produced and consumed globally in the contemporary world, and of associated sustainability issues
-using digital technologies to set up joint projects involving schools in the UK and in the developing world
-developing the knowledge and experience of Oxfam educators, particularly in relation to digital media
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sandip Hazareesingh (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Funded by this grant and set up in 2013, the Commodity Histories website has enabled the raising of public awareness of the histories and cultures of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America via their crucial role in the production of commodities and in their growing of all kinds of useful plants and crops. It is the first digital academic site in the UK to focus on the histories of those parts of the world. It has also provided a compelling online space for researchers in a variety of locations both within and beyond academia to post and share research enthusiasms, works-in-progress, source materials, through text, audio and video media. Website content is being used by the academic community as well as by museums and libraries for both research and teaching purposes; and through feedback from contributers and users, it continues to provide us with insights on the potential of digital technologies to enrich historical and humanities research. |
| Exploitation Route | Commodity Histories provides either directly or by quick links to, an increasing selection of research documents, publications, primary sources, bibliographies and other useful information, which are being used by the academic community and the wider public for research, teaching, and information gathering purposes. Indeed it has vast potential for use in non-academic contexts and we are using Twitter feeds as an important digital tool to share ideas and stay in touch with a range of different publics. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.commodityhistories.org/ |
| Description | The website is being used as a crucial open access information and research resource on the histories of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America by a wide range of museums and libraries both in Britain and globally. Prominent users in Britain include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the British Library. These non-academic institutions also use the website to post news and up-dates of newly catalogued and digitised resources. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Hidden Histories of Things. Joint workshop with UCL Institute of Making |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Institute of Making |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | OU-Commodity Histories put out and received the call for papers for the workshop, selected the participants and made up two of the three organisers of the event. A report on the workshop was published on the Commodity Histories website. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UCL Institute of Making hosted and provided the venue for the workshop, including catering and refreshments. Workshop participants were able to enjoy hands-on experience of the wide variety of materials housed at the Institute. |
| Impact | Essay published by Lewis Daly, Cassava Spirit and The Seed of History, on the Commodity Histories website, combining anthropological and ecological perspectives. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | The British Library-India Office Records |
| Organisation | The British Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I invited representatives of the British Library to the launch of the Commodity Histories website in September 2013, and the collaboration was established at a follow-up meeting. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Archivists from the India Office Records at the British Library have been writing a series of blogs on the website, narrating the full stories behind the making of some crucial primary sources during the period of British colonial rule in India. This is available online for use by students, researchers and the general public. The BL also posts updates of newly catalogued and digitised resources. |
| Impact | Four items have been posted on the website by the India Office Records archivist: 'Catalogue of the edible vegetable productions of India, 1810' (2013). 'Investigation into the India-rubber trees of Brazil, 1877' (2014). 'Experiments in producing useful commodities from the nests of insects in India' (2014). 'The Hindu method of making sugar' (2015). |
| Start Year | 2013 |