Argentinian researcher Gimena del Río visited the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and participated in academic activities focused on digital humanities, according to an April 24 announcement. Her visit included discussions with students and faculty about technology use in the humanities and current challenges related to knowledge production and circulation.
Del Río, a medievalist specializing in technology applied to the humanities, shared her perspective on the origins of digital humanities, conceptual tensions within the field, and emphasized developing it from a Latin American context. She said that understanding what constitutes digital humanities is essential: “Many times it is thought that they are simply technological tools applied to any field, but that is a mistake. Digital humanities require first understanding what the humanities are. If there is no reflection on this, what is done is not digital humanities but something else.” Del Río also highlighted how local conditions affect access: “In Latin America, we have connectivity problems, inequality, and access issues. There are families where several students share one computer. That conditions the type of tools we can use and methodologies we develop.” She underscored open access as crucial for research sharing: “Open access allows knowledge to circulate without barriers so other researchers can reuse data.”
The event also showcased an interdisciplinary project led by Ainaí Morales and Mónica Arakaki that applies digital tools to re-examine Zoila Aurora Cáceres’s personal archive—a pioneer of feminism in Peru—by organizing documents into an accessible corpus for further study. Morales said: “Our project focuses on working with Zoila Aurora Cáceres’s album… which brings together press articles, correspondence, photographs and various materials linked with her intellectual and political networks.” The team has developed datasets using technical standards for easier consultation while employing text mining and visualization models.
Del Río addressed challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research: “One problem is improper use of tools without critical review—for example reviewers using AI to evaluate articles without reading them,” she said. This practice affects academic quality while commercial interests exploit open-access content for business models.
PUCP promotes cultural and social wellbeing through education and research contributions from its university community according to its official website. The university operates under its institutional framework with RUC 20155945860 according to its official website.
The PUCP news portal highlights academic achievements addressing societal issues through reports by professors and researchers according to its official website. Communication at PUCP is directed by Dirección de Comunicación Institucional according to its official website. The news platform evolved from a printed magazine launched in 2005 into today’s multimedia site according to its official website, serving communities across Peru via news coverage as well as educational contributions according to its official website.
Reflecting on future directions for digital humanities, Del Río concluded: “I believe that the future depends more on decisions we make than on technology itself… Digital humanities have potential but require constant reflection about our practices.”
