Beyond geography: A study of smart culture and digital surrogates in Komagata Maru historical material

ABSTRACT Examined within the matrix of political and historical frames, and digitally interceded memories, the Komagata Maru is connected with the Canadian Immigration Act (1908). While appearing ‘fair to all migrants', the Canadian government was able to restrict the migration of Indians. Through an examination of digital surrogates of historical photographs and archival material, this article hinges on the extrapolations following data discovery and constructs comparative perspectives. The central premise addresses challenges of decontextualized interpretations and biases plaguing the study of ‘flotsam'. Key questions investigated are the restoration of historical material, cultural technologies, ‘smart culture’ and metadata.