New initiatives, like the Anti-Discrimination Committee and reduced fees, reinforce the CHR2024 Conference’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring all participants feel valued and supported.

Since its inception five years ago, the Computational Humanities Research (CHR) Conference has developed into a prominent and well-regarded event, attracting researchers who apply computational methods across various humanities fields. This growth has enriched the CHR community, diversifying both the range of topics explored and the contributors involved.

"Diversity and Inclusion mean embracing and valuing differences while fostering an environment where everyone feels respected, empowered, and able to contribute fully. For CHR, they mean fostering a community where people from various backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives feel welcomed and valued. Diversity ensures that research reflects a wide range of voices, while inclusion creates an environment where everyone can fully participate and contribute. This is essential for CHR because it leads to richer, more innovative research by incorporating diverse methodologies, cultural insights, and lived experiences."

- Barbara McGillivray, CHR Diversity and Inclusion Officer

The Anti-Discrimination Commitee

To support the growth and development of CHR as a diverse and inclusive community and conference, as well as to promote greater geographical and cultural inclusion, several initiatives have been introduced.

One of these initiatives is the newly established Anti-Discrimination Committee, which includes member of the CHR Board, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Barbara McGillivray and Line Ejby Sørensen, representing the local host, Aarhus University, for the 2024 edition. Guided by the CHR Conference Code of Conduct, the Anti-Discrimination Committee is responsible for addressing any reports of discrimination. An anonymous reporting form will be made available in time for the conference, allowing participants and others involved to report any misconduct.

"This is an important initiative because it demonstrates CHR’s commitment to creating a safe, equitable, and welcoming environment for all participants. By establishing an Anti-Discrimination Committee and providing an anonymous reporting mechanism, we ensure that any incidents of discrimination are taken seriously and addressed promptly, also fostering a truly inclusive academic community."

- Barbara McGillivray, CHR Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Initiatives to enhance inclusion

To enhance inclusion, CHR2024 has implemented reduced registration fees for students and individuals from low- and middle-income countries, as well as an online attendance option at a lower cost.

The conference registration form also allows participants to specify any special needs, prompting local organisers to work toward solutions that best accommodate individual requirements, such as wheelchair access or a private space close to the conference proceedings.

For gender inclusivity, participants can indicate their preferred pronouns during registration, if they would like them to be included on their name tag during the conference.

"These actions are significant because they actively remove barriers to participation, ensuring that individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances can engage fully with the CHR community. They make the conference more accessible to those who might otherwise be excluded due to financial or geographical constraints. We are also monitoring the diversity of participants in terms of gender, geography, and ethnicity to provide crucial data to evaluate the effectiveness of our initiatives."

- Barbara McGillivray, CHR Diversity and Inclusion Officer