Welcome to FemTechNet!
-Greeting
-Introductions
-FemTechNet: What is it?
- Why Feminism & Technology?
- Example of current project
-Initiatives & timeline of events so far
-UCHRI initiative = UCFemTechNet
-Next steps: Discussion
FemTechNet: what is it?
A global network of scholars and artists who work at the intersections of
feminism, science and technology, media studies, and the arts
Key objectives
To critically examine design and uses of technologies, within a robust
discussion of history, culture, and politics
To expand participation in discussions about feminist engagement with
technology and science
To demonstrate feminist contribution to technological innovation
To contribute to the digital archive of the history of technology and science
Why Feminism and Technology ?
Cultural inattention to the general history of technology and science
Lack of discussion of the contribution of feminist theory to
technocultural innovation, collaboration, contestation, critique, strategic
failure
Cultural and professional neglect of the historical relationship between
gender, sexuality, and technological innovation, contestation, etc.
Weak connections between equity feminists and feminist theorists
General suspicion of theoretical and critical projects & of the
“ideological” weight of feminism
Uneven curricular coverage in conventional disciplines; Corporate
structures of many for-profit MOOCs
Example of a current FemTechNet project…
Co-ordinators:
Alexandra Juhasz
Professor of Media Studies
Pitzer College, Los Angeles
and
Anne Balsamo
Dean of the School of Media Studies
New School for Public Engagement, New York
Initial Commitments
Key Opportunities
•Extensive global network of feminist experts in science and technology
•Deep history of innovative feminist engagement with technology
•Cross-disciplinary dispersion of feminist expertise
•Feminist design thinking
•History of innovative pedagogical practice among feminist teachers
•New digital technology infrastructures
Feminist Learning Design
2013 DOCC: Dialogues in Feminism and Technology
Approaches the creation of a MOOC
from the perspective of feminist STS and media arts
Ten Week Course: September – November, 2013
Ten – Twelve VIDEO DIALOGUES
Shared Learning Materials: BOTLs
Collaborative Learning Activity: STORMING WIKIPEDIA
Differential Participation: NODAL classes
DOCC: 1st Iteration Schedule
Dialogues in Feminism & Technology
Fall 2012: Networking, Fundraising, Wikipedia analysis
Spring 2013: Beta Courses
Spring 2013: Prepare Video Dialogues
Summer 2013: Material Preparation, Instructors’ Workshop
Sept – Nov 2013: DOCC Launch
FemTechNet: initiatives
Support feminist criticism in relation to science and technology
topics in the classroom and in research
Develop collaborative online course on gender and technology
by spring 2013
Develop online networks and resources focused on feminism,
science and technology
Wikistorm - develop sessions to integrate feminist technoscience scholars into wikipedia
Grant-writing to support ongoing teaching and research
collaboration
FemTechNet: Timeline of Events so
far
Decades of feminist critiques of science and technology
Development of FemBot Collective (Carol Stabile)
Spring 2012 :
Formation of FemTechNet listserv
Meeting at USC to discuss development of gender and
technology course (funded by Alex Juhasz’s Claremont College
grant)
UC group led by Lisa Cartwright applied for and received grant
from UC Humanities Research Institute to support FemTechNet
in the UC system
FemTechNet: Timeline of Events so far
cont…
May 2012
Meeting in NY at Visual Culture Conference
Meeting in Phoenix at ICA
October 2012
Meeting in Copenhagen at SHOT/SSSS to discuss FemTechNet
group
Meeting at UCLA to discuss FemTechNet group and plan UCHRI
supported event for spring
Meeting at Claremont College to do wikistorm and grant-writing
UCHRI & FemTechNet
“One of the aims of the proposed UC Feminist Technology
Network working group is to grasp exactly what forms and
alliances are possible and necessary for the productive
advancement of new work in the current remediated forms
of feminist practice on and with technology, regardless of our
other disciplinary differences. This requires considerable
dialog concerning the state of feminist practice and theory in
light of the place of technology not only as an object of
study, but also a set of modalities of mediation in our
scholarly, critical, and pedagogical practice.”
UCHRI Proposal
(full doc available as pdf)
UCHRI & FemTechNet
Crossing disciplinary boundaries:
– Among STS and humanities-based film and media
studies and digital arts and humanities
– Between computation/ informatics and
humanities
• Examples of other crossovers?
• Strategies to work together more and better?
Feminist scholarship on technology transformed
two fields in the late 20th century: science and
technology studies (STS), and film and television
studies.
• What established or emerging fields still need
feminist transformation today? What is the state
of feminist STIM (science technology information
medicine) in UC network now?
• What new challenges might emerging fields pose
for feminist theory? Disability studies, design
studies, innovation studies...
UCFemTechNet: Next Steps
Are there other partnerships that can be forged?
How can we continue to solidify and strengthen the
network in the UC?
What items should be added to our list of initiatives?
What kind of UC event shall we plan for spring of
2013?
2013 4S in San Diego?
Thank you!
Background and MORE information:
https://quote.ucsd.edu/ucfemtechnet/ [Currently in Beta]
Twitter handle : @ucfemtechnet
http://www.facebook.com/ucfemtechnet
http://fembotcollective.org/
http://fembotcollective.org/femtechnet/femtechnet-usefuldocuments/
http://dmlcentral.net/blog/liz-losh/learning-failure-feministdialogues-technology-part-i
http://dmlcentral.net/blog/liz-losh/learning-failure-feministdialogues-technology-part-ii