The Digital Humanities Alliance for Research and Teaching Innovations (DHARTI) is seeking proposals from educational institutions in India to plan and execute the DHARTI 2024 biennial conference scheduled to take place in 2024.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PAST CONFERENCES
The Digital Humanities Alliance for Research and Teaching Innovations or DHARTI, is an initiative toward organizing and facilitating digital practices in arts and humanities scholarship in India, both within and beyond academic institutes. DHARTI is India’s first Digital Humanities Collective and is affiliate as a Constituent Organization of the The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO)
DHARTI, in its previous avatar as the Digital Humanities Alliance of India (DHAI) successfully held its inaugural conference in June 2018 at IIM Indore, which was organized jointly by IIM Indore and IIT Indore. The two-day conference with the theme:“Contestations, Connections and Collaborations” saw participation from more than 50 national and international delegates from 16 Indian states and 5 countries. DHARTI also organized India’s first twitter conference in January 2020 that also saw tremendous participation from DH enthusiasts from across the world.
In July 2020, a DHARTI panel on “Toward a Postcolonial/Decolonial Digital Humanities” for DH2020 was held online, streamed live on YouTube, and archived on the Humanities Common Portal. In December 2020, DHARTI launched the DHARTI Speaks! Webinar series with a talk on Electronic Literature as DH-Perspectives from Ghana and India. This online series aims at facilitating a sustained dialogue between Global Voices and/in Local Conversations on the Global South.
The second DHARTI (online) conference was held fromn February 21 to 25, 2022, with the theme: “The Digital Divides: Discontents, Debates and Discussions” and with the aim to acknowledge the vertiginous divides, celebrate the productive debates, and encourage new models of thinking about humanistic inquiry in a post-Covid digital landscape.
Thus far, participation at all DHARTI events has been transdisciplinary with representation from diverse disciplines including (but not limited to) Language, Literature, Visual Art, Performance / Theatre Studies, Media Studies, History, Sociology, Psychology, Language Technologies, Library Studies, Methodologies as well as Software and Critical Computational Studies. These modes of participation are representative of the aims of DHARTI, namely, to provide a methodological commons to promote and accommodate the diverse nature of DH studies within the Humanities, Social Sciences, and beyond through interdisciplinary research and pedagogy. DHARTI also aims to foster connections and associations with fellow DH organizations from the Global South that are similarly committed toward a decolonized praxis of DH.
We are particularly interested in proposals from institutions/ groups of institutions that
● Have developed or are developing digital humanities communities and organizations
● Have not previously hosted a DH conference and/or
● Are interested in developing new modes of engagement for DH
● Are similarly committed toward a decolonized praxis of DH
Scope of Proposal:
The selected educational institution(s) will be responsible for the following:
1. Event Planning:
○ Develop the conference website, a comprehensive event plan outlining key milestones, and timelines.
○ Coordinate with DHARTI to understand the conference objectives, theme, and target audience.
2. Venue Selection and Logistics:
○ Identify and secure a suitable venue that aligns with the conference requirements for hybrid and offline participation.(including room sizes and technical capabilities, hotel, options for student housing, and other accommodations, arrangements for access accommodations1).
○ Manage logistics, including audio-visual equipment, catering, signage, and seating arrangements.
1 Access for attendees with disabilities is mandatory at all venues and events associated with the conference. This includes accommodations in presentation rooms for participants who are sight- and/or hearing-impaired. If excursions cannot be made accessible to people with disabilities, this should be clearly noted in the registration materials.
3. Program Development:
○ Collaborate with DHARTI to create a diverse and engaging conference program.
○ Source and coordinate speakers, panelists, and workshop facilitators.
4. Marketing and Promotion:
○ Develop a marketing strategy to promote the conference and attract participants.
○ Create promotional materials, including brochures, banners, and online content.
5. Registration and Attendee Management:
○ Implement an efficient registration system for participants.
○ Handle attendee inquiries and manage participant communications.
6. Sponsorship and Exhibitor Coordination:
○ Secure sponsorships and manage relationships with sponsors.
○ Coordinate exhibitor logistics, including booth assignments and setup.
7. On-Site Management:
○ Oversee on-site logistics and ensure smooth event execution.
○ Provide event staff for registration, information, and support.
8. Post-Event Evaluation:
○ Collect feedback from participants, sponsors, and exhibitors.
○ Prepare a comprehensive post-event report, including recommendations for future conferences.
Proposal Submission: Interested institutions are invited to submit a letter of intent that addresses their suitability for hosting the conference as well as a few proposed conference themes by 30 Mar 2024. Thereafter, a detailed proposal should be submitted by 26 Apr 2024. The proposal should include the following:
● Institutional background and experience in conference planning.
● Proposed event plan and timeline.
● Budget estimate, including a breakdown of costs.
● Previous experience with similar events and references.
● Marketing and promotional strategies.
Submission Deadline: [Date] Proposal Submission Address: [Your Organization’s Address] Contact Person: [Your Contact Person] Contact Email: [Your Contact Email] Contact Phone: [Your Contact Phone]
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
●Experience and expertise in conference planning and event management.
● Proposed budget and cost-effectiveness.
● References and past performance.
● Marketing and promotional strategies.
DHARTI reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to negotiate separately with educational institutions deemed to be the most qualified.
We look forward to receiving your proposal.
Sincerely,
DHARTI Governing Body
dhallianceindia@gmail.com
DHARTI 