Nagaland: Two-day conference highlights critical thinking, data interpretation in digital era

A two-day conference, titled 'Digital Humanities and Decolonising Education in Northeast India: Challenges and Opportunities', held in Nagaland's Jotsoma stressed the need for critical thinking and the ability to interpret data in the digital era.

The conference, which commenced on February 25, was organised at Kohima Science College, Jotsoma by the Department of English, Capital College of Higher Education and Cue Academy, Kohima with support from the Department of Higher Education of Nagaland.

Medongoi Rhakho, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education of Nagaland, while addressing the gathering, traced the historical waves of colonisation and their impact on the world.

He emphasised how modern society is now controlled by data, rather than land or industry. He said in today's world, thinking and data interpretation have replaced traditional forms of capital.

"We are now in the age of artificial intelligence," Rhakho said, underscoring the importance of adapting to these new technological realities.

He said that to decolonise and progress, societies must engage in critical thinking, learning, unlearning, and relearning in order to harness the potential of digital tools and data.

Delivering the keynote address, Charles Redmon, a lecturer at Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, United Kingdom emphasised that the world was now witnessing a boom in Al research, investment, and integration into various applications that impact everyday life.

However, he pointed out that while most companies behind these Al technologies operate in English, this neglects the diverse languages spoken around the world, including in the northeastern region of India.

He wondered what these developments mean for the linguistic needs of the Google Northeast, and how the region can engage with Al technologies that often Bot fail to support regional languages.

Redmon discussed the current state of Al in language technologies, acknowledging the gaps that remain in developing tools that are inclusive of the region's diverse languages.

The conference brought academics, educators, together digital humanities practitioners, and community leaders to explore the challenges and issues associated with decolonising education through the lens of digital humanities in Northeast India.

Participants and speakers were from various states of India as well as the UK and Africa.