Event overview
A panel discussion about the book 'Technocolonialism: when technology for good is harmful' with Helen Kennedy, Jo Littler, Mirca Madianou, Andrea Medrado and Nirmal Puwar.
This event, part of the MCCS Community Lecture Series, marks the publication of the book ‘Technocolonialism: when technology for good is harmful’ (https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=technocolonialism-when-technology-for-good-is-harmful--9781509559022). 'Technocolonialism' charts how AI and data practices harm some of the world’s most marginalised people.
The panel title ‘After Technocolonialism’ is a provocation. Rather than suggesting the end of colonialism the panellists will explore the practices of resistance, the role of solidarity and participatory research and what ‘the digital good’ might look like. Charting the harms of technocolonialism is the first step towards imagining alternative futures.
The event takes place in the space of the exhibition 'Reimagining Digital ID' which showcases the artwork of Karen refugees from the Thailand-Myanmar border. Through their drawings, Karen refugees express their experiences with biometric systems and imagine alternative futures: https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=15599
The panel will be followed by drinks and the opportunity to view and discuss the drawings with the research team.
Jo Littler is Professor of Culture, Media and Social Analysis at Goldsmiths. Her books include The Politics of Heritage (2005); Radical Consumption (2008); Against Meritocracy (2018); The Care Manifesto (2020); and Left Feminisms (2023).
Helen Kennedy FBA FacSS is Professor of Digital Society at the University of Sheffield and Director of the ESRC Digital Good Network and the Living With Data research programme. Her research focuses on how digital media are experienced by non-expert folk as part of their everyday lives, and how and whether they can be equitable. She is author/editor of four books and over 50 journal articles.
Mirca Madianou is Professor in the School of Media, Communications & Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths. Her research focuses on the social consequences of digital technologies and AI in global south contexts especially in relation to migration and humanitarian emergencies. Her latest book is Technocolonialism: when technology for good is harmful.
Andrea Medrado is Associate Professor in Global Communications in the Department of Communications, Drama & Film, University of Exeter and Co-Vice President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research. Her book Media Activism, Artivism and the Fight Against Marginalisation in the Global South (with I. Rega) won the Outstanding Book Award 2024 from the ICA Activism, Communication & Social Justice Division.
Professor Nirmal Puwar has been at Goldsmiths since 2004. Her classic book Space Invaders: race, gender and bodies out of place (2004) has been re-visited for a 20th anniversary issue in the European Journal of Cultural Studies. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Feminist Research & Co-Convenor of the MA Gender, Media, Culture.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov 2025 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm |
Accessibility
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