Plenary – Technology for Good

Keynote

Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University

Dystopia, Utopia, or UStopia: Whose Imagination Are We Living In?

In this talk, Ruha Benjamin takes us into the liberating power of the imagination. Deadly systems shaped by white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism, and eugenics all emerged from the human imagination, and have real-world, often deadly impacts. To fight harmful systems and create a world in which everyone can thrive, we will have to imagine things differently. Drawing on work that critically examines tech-mediated inequities and engagement with grassroots approaches to viral justice, she offers a pragmatic and poetic approach to worldbuilding that invites each of us to consider the role we play in maintaining or transforming the oppressive status quo.

Discussants

Elena Popa, Jagiellonian University

Jorge Nuñez Vega, University of Amsterdam