Mapping a Colony
This project engages with digital cultural heritage on a prototype website that tests the interactive potential of what we might call digital colonial fragments. It is also a project that maps places, people and photographic material relating to Danish colonial heritage in two geographic areas: Denmark and the former Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands, USVI).
Our contemporary landscapes and cityscapes and Caribbean societies are closely linked with colonial times. The points on the map trace relations and strings of stories, ranging from the era of Danish colonial rule up to the present day. By relating history, or rather histories, to present human, material and cultural conditions, we are encouraging and contributing to a conversation about the influence and (in)visible consequences of colonial rule from multiple perspectives.
You can explore the map below by clickling on various points in the US Virgin Islands or Denmark. If you are unfamiliar with the colonial history, we suggest you begin by exploring the Narratives.