Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses the pros and cons of mass digitization projects concerning ethnographical material from imperial times (1860s til at least 1950s) with the aim of creating awareness for pending infrastructural questions and of initiating a dicussion on the linked ethical questions.

Paper long abstract:

Research infrastructures such as the Specialised Information Service for Social and Cultural Anthropology (FID SKA - www.evifa.de) are increasingly involved in mass digitization projects to provide researchers - not only with an ethnological background - with historical materials otherwise not that easily accessible. Since many of these materials at the FID SKA and also from other institutions (museums, libraries, archives) come from imperial(istic) contexts contents, language and images reflect the colonial Zeitgeist. Discriminating language and dehumanizing or otherwise (in todays perspective) unethical depictions are represented frequently. To transform these materials from physical items into a digital open accessible format means to open up possible ways of distribution and potential range - and provides opportunities or rather bears the risk of being taken out of context. How do researchers with anthropological backgrounds evaluate this situation? What solutions would they rather prefer in the light of restricted ressources? The paper wants to enter an engaged debate on solutions and develop recommendations for infrastructure institutions together with the research community.