Data Feminism At The Centre: Projects That Unsettle Gender and Racial Inequality

This session will present new thinking on research methodology that spans cultural, national and theological boundaries. By describing how we used intersectional data feminism and a trauma-informed approach as a lens and a methodology, we will illustrate ways of countering gender and racial bias in work on sexual violence and conflict transformation. Through analyzing examples of our methodologies, we will demonstrate how integrating cultural analytics, trauma-informed practice and intersectional data practices in an action-research frame can ameliorate research biases.

Drawing on our research from India, South Africa and Colombia, we will trace how cultural analytics and intersectional data practices depart from conventional approaches, reshaping research questions and approaches to engaging vulnerable groups in ways that magnify the story of their resilience and strength. We will make the case for interdisciplinarity that de-centers conventional research to reveal women’s lived experiences with more nuance and accuracy. We will also discuss why and how the arts can be vital tools for de-centering. With participants, we will explore these and other ways to counter discrimination and inequality arising from distortions in data related to algorithmic biases.