SADiLaR has Digital Humanities researchers with expertise in most of the official languages of South Africa. Led by Professor in Digital Humanities, Menno van Zaanen, the research team aims to support research and development in the domains of language technologies and language-related studies and beyond in the humanities and social sciences.
Have a look at our DH researchers’ fields of interest and study below, and feel free to contact them if you would like to collaborate on research projects.
- Prof Menno van Zaanen – Professor in Digital Humanities
- Mr Deon du Plessis – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Dr Benito Trollip – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Mrs Rooweither Mabuya – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Ms Nomsa Skosana – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Ms Mmasibidi Setaka-Bapela – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Dr Respect Mlambo – Digital Humanities Researcher
- Dr Muzi Matfunjwa – Senior lecturer
- Dr Michelle White – Data Scientist
- Ms Marissa Griesel – Project Manager: African Wordnet Node co-manager: SADiLaR Unisa Node
SADiLaR Research Ethics: Lab
SADiLaR’s digital humanities research ethics lab (RE:Lab) is a fresh, interactive space for exploring ethics in digital scholarship. It grows out of our commitment to advancing digital research – and is supported by our research ethics committee, SADiLaR²EC. Think of it as both a training ground and a community hub, where anyone can engage with the ethical challenges of working in the digital age. And please contact us if you want to collaborate with colleagues and partners who share an interest in advancing digital humanities ethics.
At its heart is the development of a massive open online course (MOOC). The course will introduce key ethical frameworks while rooting them in African and Global South contexts. With case studies, interactive activities, and space for reflection, it will equip you to tackle real-world issues in digital and data-driven research.
RE:Lab is affiliated with the UNESCO Chair on Multimodal Learning and OER (open educational resources) at the North-West University, plugging directly into its OER projects. This partnership means wider access to high-quality resources, with a strong focus on equity and inclusion. Most importantly, RE:Lab is designed to keep evolving. Expect new content, community contributions, multilingual resources, and guidance on emerging challenges – from AI and data privacy to research in low-tech environments. It’s a living resource, built to grow with the digital humanities community.
To get a feel for ethics in an African context, you can read Research ethics and diversity of worldviews: Integrated worlds and ubuntu. For current debates in DH ethics, see Towards a Manifesto for Cyber Humanities: Paradigms, Ethics, and Prospects.
Deon du Plessis is the RE:Lab project leader.
📞 (+27) (0) 18 285 2791
📧 deon.duplessis@nwu.ac.za
Publications
Our latest publications are available on here