Introduction: The Politics and Ethics of Naming the Names of Enslaved People in Digital Humanities Projects

This introduction provides a broad overview to the context of digital humanities projects dealing with enslaved people and frames the debate over the ethics and politics of using the names of enslaved people. For some descendant communities, listing the names of enslaved people contributes to searches for genealogical connections; for other communities where the stigma of enslaved descent still prevails, such projects may do harm. This introduction explores these issues in relationship to the articles included in this special collection.