Mapping the Dutch queer web sphere
The Web has been so important to LGBT+ people that to understand queer life, one has to understand queer digital culture. Extant research, however, fails to do this justice.
Using the collection of over 350 archived Dutch LGBT+ websites of the Dutch National Library (KB), I will answer the question: What does the Dutch queer web sphere look like and how has it changed over time? I will examine the distinct web sphere that queer organizations and individuals formed, its connection to other websites, and its evolution. Notably, I will show how this can be done through two computational methods: hyperlink analyses and Named Entity Recognition.
The outcomes will shed light on the cultural heritage of marginalized groups, which furthers emancipation. Moreover, the project results in workflows to research rich-yet-underused web archives, which will help others engage with them. I will present my findings in two peer-reviewed articles.
Research Results
While I was a fellow, I extracted the hyperlinks of the collection of archived Dutch LGBT+ websites of the Dutch National Library (KB). Subsequently, I scrutinized and analyzed them, among others by using Gephi to visualize the networks that these websites formed. Various results are striking. For example, contrary to statements that queer life is ‘intrinsically transnational’, the nature of the network was surprisingly national. Additionally, there were various clusters that stand out, i.e. groups of websites that formed a network-within-a-network. Religious queer websites are a prime example, as are websites geared towards transgenders. I have already elaborated on these findings in conference presentations, and will continue to do so in peer-reviewed journal articles.
Output
- Verhoef, J. (2023a, June 30). Uncovering Queer Cultural Heritage Using Web Archives. AMPS. Heritages: Past and Present – Built and Social, Prague.
- Verhoef, J. (2023b, November 9). From gay to queer. Analysis of COC Netherlands’ communication, 2008-2022. (Non-)binarity in Binary Structures. The Digital Communication of Identity and Diversity, Vienna.
- Verhoef, J. (2023c, December 8). It’s the nation, stupid. Hyperlink analyses of 200 archived Dutch LGBT+ websites. LGBTQIA+ Research Day 2023, Utrecht.
- Verhoef, J. (2024, April 24). LGBT+ and Religion: Queering Web Archive Research. IIPC Web Archiving Conference, Paris.
- Verhoef, J., & Geldermans, I. (2023). Het (LHBT+)web doorgronden via hyperlinkanalyses. IP. Vakblad voor Informatieprofessionals, 9.
Main Research Topics
- Digital Humanities
- Cultural History
- Media
Curriculum Vitae
- Research Fellow, Center for Advanced Internet Studies, Bochum, July-Sep 2023.
- Researcher-in-Residence at the Dutch National Library (KB), 6 months in 2023.
- Postdoc Digitization, Media and Popular Culture, Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2022-present.
- Lecturer Media and Communication, Utrecht University, 2018-2022.
- PhD candidate at Utrecht University, 2013-2017.
Publications and Presentations
- Verhoef, J. (2015). The cultural-historical value of and problems with digitized advertisements. Historical newspapers and the portable radio, 1950-1969. Tijdschrift Voor Tijdschriftstudies, 38, 51-60.
- Verhoef, J. (2017). Opzien tegen modernisering. Denkbeelden over Amerika en Nederlandse identiteit in het publieke debat over media, 1919-1989. Eburon.
- Verhoef, J. (2023a, May 11). Mapping the Dutch LGBT+ Web Sphere Using Computational Methods. IIPC Web Archiving Conference 2023, Hilversum.
- Verhoef, J. (2023b, June 30). Uncovering Queer Cultural Heritage Using Web Archives. Heritages: Past and Present – Built and Social, Prague.
- Wevers, M., & Verhoef, J. (2017). Coca-Cola: An Icon of the American Way of Life. an Iterative Text Mining Workflow for Analyzing Advertisements in Dutch Twentieth-Century Newspapers. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 11(4).