Diversity & Inclusion @ CSCW 2020

Digital technologies and socio-technical systems have always been deeply intertwined with structures of power, inequality, and exclusion. An engagement with the ethics and politics of computing, and the role technology plays in various forms of injustice, are central to interdisciplinary knowledge production. CSCW officially recognizes scholarly contributions to diversity & inclusion. This includes, among others, scholarly work that raises questions such as: what role can technology research and design play in political mobilization and activism? How do digital technologies reproduce exclusions (or foment new forms of inclusion) along the lines or intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality? What forms of new labor exploitation are legitimized by novel systems design? How does the political economy of tech innovation shape our own field?

 During a typical CSCW conference, we host an annual lunch to recognize and celebrate the diversity and inclusion efforts of our community. Unfortunately, that is not possible this year, so this page is meant to share information and happenings pertaining to D&I efforts that are still happening, including our annual Recognition of Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion awards.

As a reminder, all attendees are expected to abide by the CSCW Code of Conduct and ACM Policy Against Harassment.

Diversity & Inclusion Social Hour

Please consider joining us for an informal Diversity & Inclusion Social Hour on Monday, October 19 at 12:30pm CT (UTC -5:00). Links and event information will be provided to attendees in the conference portal. 

2020 Paper Recognitions for Contribution to Diversity & Inclusion

For 2020 we have chosen to recognize 10 papers for their contribution to diversity and inclusion at CSCW. Papers were nominated by reviewers in each submission cycle and a committee evaluated each paper, taking into account the original reviews and their own assessment. Based on their evaluations, 10 papers were selected by this year’s D&I Co-Chairs to be recognized publicly at the conference. They are: 

Alex A. Ahmed, Bryan Kok, Coranna S. Howard, and Klew Still. Online Community-based Design of Free and Open Source Software for Transgender Voice Training. Mon, Oct 19 11:00 – 12:30.

Amna Liaqat and Cosmin Munteanu. Leveraging Peer Support for Mature Immigrants Learning to Write in Informal Contexts. Tue, Oct 20 09:00 – 10:30.

Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, Kandrea Wade, Caitlin Lustig, and Jed Brubaker. How We’ve Taught Algorithms to See Identity: Constructing Race and Gender in Image Databases for Facial Analysis. Mon, Oct 19 11:00 – 12:30.

Yolanda A. Rankin and India Irish. A Seat at the Table: Black Feminist Thought as a Critical Framework for Inclusive Game Design. Wed, Oct 21 09:00 – 10:30.

Reem Talhouk, Lizzie Coles-Kemp, Rikke Bjerg Jensen, Madeline Balaam, Andrew Garbett, Hala Ghattas, Vera Araujo-Soares, Balsam Ahmad, and Kyle Montague. Food Aid Technology: The Experience of a Syrian Refugee Community in Coping with Food Insecurity. Wed, Oct 21 09:00 – 10:30.

Mustafa Naseem, Fouzia Younas, and Maryam Mustafa. Designing Digital Safe Spaces For Peer Support and Connectivity in Patriarchal Contexts. Wed, Oct 21 09:00 – 10:30.

Sheen Erete, Yolanda A. Rankin, and Jakita Thomas. I Can’t Breathe: Reflections from Black Women in CSCW and HCI. Mon, Oct 19 11:00 – 12:30. 

Priyank Chandra. Piracy and the Impaired Cyborg: Assistive Technologies, Accessibility, and Access. Mon, Oct 19 09:00 – 10:30. 

Ira Anjali Anwar, Joyojeet Pal, and Julie Hui. Watched, but Moving: Platformization of Beauty Work and Its Gendered Mechanisms of Control. Mon, Oct 19 11:00 – 12:30.

Alexandra To, Wenxia Sweeney, Jessica Hammer, and Geoff Kaufman. “They Just Don’t Get It”: Towards Social Technologies for Coping with Interpersonal Racism. Tue, Oct 20 07:00 – 08:30.

Other D&I related conference events

• On Monday, October 19 at 09:00 CT (UTC -5:00), there will be a panel called Anti-Racism in Design, held in Room 7.
• On Tuesday, October 20 at 09:00 CT (UTC -5:00), there will be a panel called No: Critical Refusal as Feminist Data Practice, held in Room 7.

 We encourage CSCW attendees interested in D&I in our community to attend both of these panels.