FYI, I got this response from Dr. Sofoulis yesterday: "Thanks for your interest in my work. I'd love to be able to give you a copy of the chapter but i am afraid i can't at the moment - the one copy of the book it is in was lent to a student ages ago who never returned it and i can't find a digital copy anywhere."
I've followed up and confirmed we can circulate a copy amongst ourselves if we can obtain one elsewhere. So, if anyone is able to find a digital copy of the chapter...Just don't post it on the wiki without some sort of access restriction. (A simple password would be sufficient.) -Joan On 2019-07-02 15:27, Joan Touzet wrote: > Hi everyone, > > A good friend of mine turned me on to an academic paper from 1995. > This paper was key to her understanding of how diversity plays into > technology communities. > > The title is: "Of spanners and cyborgs: de-homogenizing feminist > thinking on technology". Full citation is at the bottom of this > email[1]. I'm trying to get a copy I can share with the list, or for the > wiki. > > In short, the paper argues that you can't just "give a girl a spanner" > (wrench, for you Americans) and expect them to succeed in being a > competent technologist. This point naturally extends beyond just women > to other marginalized groups who have an interest in technology. > > Quoting my friend (not the paper): > > "We should not expect that women/marginalized groups to just join > dominant space, especially when those spaces actively discriminate or > uphold discriminatory standards. We must always consider the context > from which we ask [people] to engage with technology. And often it is > our contexts which need to change in order to truly benefit from the > experiences of women/marginalized people. > > "Bluntly: if we want more women/marginalized people [here], the way we > construct and implement those experiences need to change. > Women/marginalized people are not add-ons. We can't just add them to our > [communities] and expect them to stay. > > "This change can only occur through listening to women/marginalized > people and seeing how technology is best used by these people. We need > to take a very critical look at who is making decisions about diversity, > and how those decisions are made. > > "I love technology. I love computer science.... But I'm feeling burnt > out at ignoring something I have always known: *the [women]/marginalized > people might want different experiences.... [T]here is nothing wrong > with [women]/marginalized people not wanting to participate." > > I think this diatribe touches on two things that have been raised on > this list: > > 1. Some projects and ASF participants don't want to change. That's fine. > But like the old adage about the Internet routing around censorship, > women and marginalized people may simply route around those projects > and do their own thing. The ASF will be poorer without those > participants and their energy, even if it might have taken projects in > new and unexpected directions. > > 2. Some projects and ASF participants *do* want to change. They should be > listening to the experiences of those women and marginalized people who > choose to participate, and understand why or why not they continue to > do so. I'd encourage any of us (I am female, and in a number of > marginalized groups) to explain why and how, if we feel safe doing so. > If not on this list, then hopefully the survey-to-come will provide an > anonymous way those experiences can be shared. > > -Joan "food for thought" Touzet > > [1]: Sofoulis, Z 1995, 'Of spanners and cyborgs: de-homogenising > feminist thinking on technology', in B Caine & R Pringle (eds), > Transitions: new Australian feminisms, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp. 147-63.
