Alex Gil (scholar) explained

Alex Gil

Alex Gil (born 1973) is a scholar of digital humanities and Caribbean studies. He is a Senior Lecturer II and Associate Research Faculty at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Yale University.[1] He is a leading scholar in the field of digital humanities.[2] Gil is a founder of the Group for Experimental Methods in the Humanities at Columbia University, which focuses on rapid prototyping of new forms of digital scholarship.[3] __FORCETOC__

Notable Work

In Caribbean studies, Gil is known for his discovery of an early manuscript of Aimé Césaire's unfinished play Et les chiens se taisaient.[4] His research demonstrated that Césaire began writing the play in 1941 and that it originally focused on the Haitian Revolution.[5] Through his work in digital humanities, Gil has led a series of high-profile initiatives that use digital and computational technologies for social justice. The Puerto Rico Mapathon for Hurricane Relief combined digital humanities knowledge with humanitarian interventions, bringing together participants at universities across the United States to improve the Open Street Map used by rescue workers responding to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.[6] [7] Torn Apart/Separados, a series of rapidly produced data visualizations, responded to the Trump administration family separation policy announced by the United States government in 2018.[8] [9] The project located 113 shelters used to house children separated from their parents at the Mexico-United States Border[10] [11] and has been identified as "part of a growing vanguard of interdisciplinary researchers combining 21st-century technical skills and classical research practices to do a new kind of cultural interpretation -- and sometimes activism."[12] In response to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gil led the Covid Maker Response at Columbia University, using 3D printing to become a main supplier of face shields in New York City. Gil was also a leader of Ethnic Studies Rise, a project in response to Harvard University's decision to deny tenure to Lorgia Garcia Peña.[13] [14] For his notable contributions to digital humanities, libraries, and social justice, Gil was the recipient of the Library Journal's 2020 Movers and Shakers Award.[15]

Education

Gil received a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia in 2012, an M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia in 2005, and a B.A. in English from Florida International University in 1999. He also studied at Ecole Normale Supérieure.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Yale University . 28 July 2022.
  2. Web site: Fenton . Will . The Rising Stars of Digital Humanities . Inside Higher Education . 22 May 2019.
  3. Web site: McKenzie . Lindsay . Digital Humanities for Social Good . Inside Higher Education . 22 May 2019.
  4. Arnold. A. James. 2015. Review of Free and French in the Caribbean: Toussaint Louverture, Aimé Césaire, and Narratives of Loyal Opposition. NWIG: New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids. 89. 1/2. 161–163. 1382-2373. 24713711. 10.1163/22134360-08901028. free.
  5. Allen. Jason. 2017-07-04. Aimé Césaire and The Divine Comedy: Self-enlightenment and the dialectic of relation in And the Dogs Were Silent. Journal of Postcolonial Writing. 53. 4. 482–494. 10.1080/17449855.2017.1292182. 1744-9855. free.
  6. News: A Mapathon to Pinpoint Areas Hardest Hit in Puerto Rico. Yin. Alice. 2017-10-02. The New York Times. 2019-05-22. en-US. 0362-4331.
  7. Web site: Volunteers are helping Puerto Rico from home, with a map anyone can edit. 2017-10-01. PBS NewsHour. en-us. 2019-05-22.
  8. 'ICE Is Everywhere': Using Library Science to Map the Separation Crisis. Dreyfuss. Emily. 2018-06-25. Wired. 2019-05-22. 1059-1028.
  9. Web site: Fronteras: Digitally Mapping Trump Administration's 'Zero Tolerance' Policy. Martinez. Norma. www.tpr.org. en. 2019-05-22.
  10. Web site: A shocking map of America's vast "immigrant detention machine". perma.cc. en-us. 2019-05-22. 2018-07-03. https://perma-archives.org/warc/20180703160706/https://www.fastcodesign.com/90177979/a-shocking-map-of-americas-vast-immigrant-detention-machine. bot: unknown.
  11. Web site: Torn Apart: Mapping the Geography of U.S. Immigration Policy. Fournier. Jess. Feministing. 3 July 2018 . en-US. 2019-05-22.
  12. Web site: When digital humanities meets activism. 2021-08-30. www.insidehighered.com. en.
  13. Web site: Habib. Yamily. 2019-12-20. Ethnic Studies Programs Rise for Professor Garcia-Peña. 2021-08-30. BeLatina. en-US.
  14. Web site: 2019-12-29. Academics, students hold 'Twitter fest' to support ethnic studies, prof denied tenure. 2021-08-30. The College Fix.
  15. Web site: Alex Gil Movers & Shakers 2020–Change Agents. 2021-08-30. Library Journal.
  16. Web site: Alexander Gil – Humanities Commons. en-US. 2019-05-22.