Research summary
In countries around the world, colonization has led to the loss of Indigenous languages and knowledge. As Canada Research Chair in Digital Indigeneities, Dr. Genner Llanes-Ortiz is exploring how digital media and technologies can be used to reclaim and mobilize these.
He and his research team are investigating “digital Indigeneities” in the Americas—namely, how Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Mexico and Guatemala develop and use digital technologies to reclaim, protect and stimulate their cultural and language heritage. To develop insights into these processes, they are conducting a comparative analysis of four interrelated areas: Indigenous language digital activism; collaborative online curation of Indigenous heritage; digital mapping of Indigenous heritage; and participatory Indigenous heritage. Their research program will be the first to bridge Indigenous theorization and activism networks from the South with the “digital Indigeneities” of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.