Digital collectives in the carceral era: Introducing Abolition Now

Abstract

This essay critically examines the growing role of digital collectives and collections in the current carceral era, emphasizing the transformative potential of community-driven digital scholarship and participatory research in the study of punishment and abolitionist movements. Through an introduction of Abolition Now: Images for Study and Struggle (AN) and related initiatives, the authors highlight how digital archives and artistic collaborations serve as countervisual spaces that disrupt dominant carceral narratives, foster critical popular engagement, and generate new forms of knowledge. We also advocate for a redefinition of academic deliverables beyond traditional metrics, centering collaborative, ethical, and post-custodial data practices that empower communities most impacted by mass incarceration. AN situates abolitionist imagery as central to envisioning alternative futures, mapping the proliferation of movement art across social and political crises, and underscores the importance of critical metadata and participatory infrastructure in sustaining digital abolitionist scholarship in university and popular education spaces.