The Dawit Isaak Database of Censorship

This paper introduces the Dawit Isaak Database of Censorship (DIDOC), a pilot initiative designed to advance research on censorship practices through the systematic documentation of banned and suppressed literature. Developed in collaboration among the Dawit Isaak Library, the Gothenburg Research Infrastructure for Digital Humanities (GRIDH), Swedish PEN, and Lund University, the project combines cultural heritage resources, scholarly expertise, and digital infrastructure. DIDOC builds on a curated selection of 160 titles from the Dawit Isaak Library’s larger collection of approximately 1,200 censored works. Each entry links bibliographic information to documented censorship events, categorized by type, reason, and geographical location. Implemented on the Omeka-S platform and structured according to Linked Open Data principles, the database supports semantic annotation, interoperability, and future integration with external resources such as the Norwegian Beacon for Freedom of Expression dataset. The project contributes methodologically by demonstrating how digital infrastructures and metadata standards can be applied to the study of censorship, while also addressing ethical questions concerning data selection, representation, and public accessibility. Beyond its role as a public resource for educators, journalists, and in libraries, DIDOC establishes a foundation for international comparative research on censorship across different historical and geographical contexts.