Genealogy, Islam, and Sorcery in Post-abolition Brazil: Digital Humanities Methods for African Diaspora Histories

A Slavery and Freedom Workshop by Bruno Véras

This workshop intends to discuss digital humanities methodologies and individual trajectories of Alufás (Muslim leaders) in Brazil. It is divided into two sections. First, the participants will be introduced to the historical context of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Brazil and its Islamic communities, notably in its capital, Rio de Janeiro. The life of an Alufá known as tio [uncle] Sany will be a guiding trajectory to analyze migration phenomenon, anti-black legislation and community-building strategies among Muslim Africans in post-slavery Brazil. Secondly, in a practical manner, the audience will experiment with several digital repositories. Through guided exercises, the participants will use several resource websites to search and analyze manuscripts, printed materials and iconographic primary sources where the histories of tio Sany and other Alufás were documented. This way, through exposition and practical exercises, this workshop will discuss historiography, transnational diasporic contexts and digital methodologies.

This is a hybrid event. Lunch will be provided for in person attendees. Please RSVP for lunch or to get the Zoom link.

Information about the Speaker

Bruno Véras is currently a sessional lecturer at the Department of Visual Studies and Department of English and Drama at the University of Toronto. He is a digital historian and cultural producer whose work focuses on public scholarship, memory, Global Africa, historical slavery, Diasporas and Art History. He has been developing multimedia digital humanities initiatives, and educational projects such as the Project Fragments of Memory: Artistic Representations of Diaspora Lives. Bruno Véras worked as a UNESCO consultant for African-Brazilian studies and museum exhibitions at FUNDAJ, Brazil (2014) and directed the awarded anti-racism art-educational projects in the Global South (2015). He produced and directed several documentaries, video series and podcasts in Egypt, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, and Canada. He has been contributing to the executive and advisory board of several research institutions, such as The Harriet Tubman Institute (2017-2019), The Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, CERLAC (2020-2021) and the Institute for the Slaver North Initiative (since 2021) and several research groups in Nigeria, Brazil and Canada. Bruno Véras is now pursuing his PhD in history at York University.

This event is hosted by the Slavery and Freedom Workshop in Stanford Humanities Center, and is co-sponsored by Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis.