From Oral Traditions to Digital Archives: Narrative Agency And Subaltern Subjectivity in the Politics of Digital Folklore
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Abstract
Not only does the digitisation transform the very nature of oral traditions, but it also creates a new dynamic of distribution of power in relation to the interpretation and circulation of the oral tradition, as well as its care. Using the oral-history scholarship, community-led digital heritage and critical archival theory to guide the process, we present a Community-Centred Narrative Agency Framework (CCNAF) with five interrelated dimensions: Initiation, Interpretation, Access governance, Accountability and Sustainability. We differentiate the concept of discoverability from self-representation, and how it is established through metadata, translation, platform interfaces and consent procedures that media convey agency in their narratives. The dimensions can be used to inform analysis of the case, but are not to be interpreted as having been empirically validated as such. Two illustrative South Asian cases illustrate how the dimensions can help inform analysis. We suggest some qualitative indicators and propositions for future participatory research. We're not claiming to offer an interpretation as to who gains and who loses control in the digital record's life cycle, because that's not what we're proposing that this is. Our contribution is an integrated framework for examining the redistribution of interpretive control in the digital record's life cycle, not an interpretation that it is enough to be stored in the repository or to be visible online.
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