DHASA Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Dear Members of the DH-Community,

 

We, as Digital Humanities scholars, condemn the illegal invasion of Ukrainian territory by the Russian government. Our solidarity lies with the people of Ukraine and others affected in any way by the war, who find themselves victims of the Russian president's attempt to disturb their independent way of life, their democracy and their sovereign nation.

In compliance with the ADHO code of conduct, we work constantly “toward the creation of a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive global community of digital humanities scholars and practitioners”.This effort includes colleagues and citizens across the globe. As such, we are deeply distraught and fear for the security of Ukrainian colleagues, many of which we know personally and respect deeply.

We are convinced that a large proportion of the Russian and Belarusian society does not support this attack on the Ukrainian nation. To those who protest their governments’ actions despite risking severe consequences we extend our solidarity. We applaud the resilience of the Ukrainian people and of the opposers of the Russian president’s actions around the globe.

We live in a globalized world. Many of our friends and colleagues from Southern Africa, who are working, studying, and living in the Ukraine and Ukrainian territories, find themselves displaced and struggle to find security in neighboring countries. We urge the governments of countries who are accepting Ukrainian refugees to please extend their humanitarian aid to people from Southern Africa and anyone affected by the war. We also urge embassies to assist their citizens to safe passage, back home or into a safe country.

DHASA as a multi-disciplinary organization in the global south encourages colleagues to support the Ukrainian people and others affected by the invasion in every way they can. The fight against hate-speech and misinformation is a central mission to many of our members. Additionally, many of the DHASA members work in low-resource environments, and are experts in creating tools, resources, and infrastructure in even the most unpromising conditions. Therefore, we call upon our members to bring their expertise to good use for a cause that while geographically far away, concerns us all.