De-Gendering informatischer Artefakte: Grundlagen einer kritisch-feministischen Technikgestaltung

Gender studies in computer science was only recently established at German universities. This research area is often understood as either addressing the problem of getting more women into IT professions or focussing on alleged gender differences in the design and use of IT. In contrast, the main objective of this dissertation is to identify and systemize gendering processes in products, theories, methods and assumptions of computer science (i.e. computational artifacts), in order to propose technology design methods, which aim at de-gendering these artefacts. The thesis focuses on three topics of inquiry: 1. Theoretical foundation: How can gendering and de-gendering processes of computational artifacts be theorized? 2. Practices of gendering: What are dimensions and mechanisms of gendering computational computational artifacts? 3. Methodological concepts for de-gendering: How can computational artefacts be designed, which can be characterized as de-gendered technologie

Embodied Agents of Life- and Cyberscience : Bericht über ein Symposium der TU Braunschweig und der Universität Bremen

Das internationale Symposium “Embodied Agents of Life- and Cyberscience. Turbulente Körper und soziale Maschinen“ (5. - 7.7.2002) brachte knapp dreißig ForscherInnen aus den Geistes- und Naturwissenschaften zusammen, um Fragen des 'technological embodiment' zu diskutieren. Die konsequent transdisziplinäre Herangehensweise und die sozio-materiale Auseinandersetzung mit aktuellen Technologien ermöglichte ein tiefergehendes Verständnis gegenwärtiger Körperformierungen, Maschinenkonzepte und Technofakte jenseits eindimensionaler Technikeuphorie oder -pessimismus. Den Auftakt der Arbeitstagung bildeten zwei Vorträge international renommierter Wissenschaftsforscherinnen. N. Katherine Hayles (USA) untersuchte Umschreibungen des 'Humanen' in den neuesten Entwicklungen der Robotik-Forschung, während Lucy Suchman (GB) in ‚Embodied Agencies at the Interface’ zeigte, dass die Konzepte von Software-Agenten, Wearable Computing und Intelligenten Häusern klassenhierarchische und geschlechtsspezifische Phantasien reproduzieren. Anschließend wurde in den Arbeitsgruppen „Sozialität mit Menschen und Maschinen”, “Im/Materialität – oder der Mythos vom Verschwinden des Körpers“ und „Emergenz – Formalisierung des Unverfügbaren?“ auf der Grundlage von Positionspapieren diskutiert. Dabei ließen sich zentrale Erkenntnisse zur technologischen Verkörperung und neue Forschungsfragen entwickeln. Insgesamt wurde deutlich, dass eine kritische Gesellschaftsanalyse und Genderforschung wie auch die Technologieentwicklung unabdingbar der Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung bedarf. Gesellschaftstheorie, Körpertheorie und die Techniktheorie bilden ein ‚seamless web’, das nur an der Schnittstelle von Natur- und Geisteswissenschaften adäquat analysiert werden kann. Das Symposium mit seiner innovativen Gestaltung hat erste Schritte in dieser Richtung unternommen und damit den notwendigen Anschluss an die internationale Debatte geleistet.The international symposium “Embodied Agents of Life- and Cyberscience. Turbulente Bodies and Social Machines“ (5. - 7.7.2002) brought together almost 30 researchers from the natural sciences and humanities in order to discuss topics of technological embodiment in the age of technoscience. The consistent transdisciplinary approach and the socio-material engagement in current technologies gave the participants a deeper understanding of present concepts and formations of bodies, machines and artefacts beyond one-dimensional technological enthusiasm and affirmation. The conference started with two lectures from internationally renowned researchers in science and technology studies. In “Computing the Human” N. Katherine Hayles (USA) focussed on reinterpretations of the ‘human’ which occurred in the latest developments in robotic research, while Lucy Suchman (GB) elaborated on the fantasies of class and gender within the concepts of software agents, Wearable Computing and Intelligent Environments in her talk “Embodied Agents at the Interface”. Later, three open discussion groups concentrated on the topics “Sociality between humans and machines”, “Im/Materiality or the myth of dissolution” and “Emergence – formalizing the unavailable”, prepared by position papers of all participants. These debates gave profound insights into the field of technological embodiment and raised new research questions. In summary, the symposium emphasized that critical analyses of society, gender studies and technology design need science and technology studies. Theories of society, the body and technology form a seamless web which can only be explored on the interface of science and humanities. The symposium with its innovative form took first steps in this direction and linked the research in the field of technological embodiment and its gendering to international debates

Political objects : Prescriptions, injustices and promises of material agents

The journal uses a Creative Commons License CC BY 3.0

To whom does the driver's seat belong in the future?

This article provides an experience report on an interdisciplinary cooperation between two gender researchers and two automotive engineers at a German technical university. It focuses on the negotiation processes around a joint research proposal, dealing with the question of how to create concepts for a trustworthy human-machine interaction in automated driving systems that satisfy the requirements of different user groups. These systems aim to offer the choice of automobility to groups of users who have so far had rather limited access, or have had reasons to refuse usage. Discussions in the interdisciplinary team are still ongoing. Their substantial shifts and their expected methodological and epistemological effects are analyzed from a feminist science and technology studies (STS) perspective. The general objective of this paper is to provide insights about the contributions and challenges of integrating approaches from gender studies into the field of automotive engineering in order to support interdisciplinary dialogues that foster a socially fair and inclusive digital transformation

Political objects : Prescriptions, injustices and promises of material agents

The journal uses a Creative Commons License CC BY 3.0

Fair and equitable AI in biomedical research and healthcare:Social science perspectives

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers opportunities but also challenges for biomedical research and healthcare. This position paper shares the results of the international conference “Fair medicine and AI” (online 3–5 March 2021). Scholars from science and technology studies (STS), gender studies, and ethics of science and technology formulated opportunities, challenges, and research and development desiderata for AI in healthcare. AI systems and solutions, which are being rapidly developed and applied, may have undesirable and unintended consequences including the risk of perpetuating health inequalities for marginalized groups. Socially robust development and implications of AI in healthcare require urgent investigation. There is a particular dearth of studies in human-AI interaction and how this may best be configured to dependably deliver safe, effective and equitable healthcare. To address these challenges, we need to establish diverse and interdisciplinary teams equipped to develop and apply medical AI in a fair, accountable and transparent manner. We formulate the importance of including social science perspectives in the development of intersectionally beneficent and equitable AI for biomedical research and healthcare, in part by strengthening AI health evaluation

De-gendering computational artifacts: foundations of a feminist technology design

Gender studies in computer science was only recently established at German universities. This research area is often understood as either addressing the problem of getting more women into IT professions or focussing on alleged gender differences in the design and use of IT. In contrast, the main objective of this dissertation is to identify and systemize gendering processes in products, theories, methods and assumptions of computer science (i.e. computational artifacts), in order to propose technology design methods, which aim at de-gendering these artefacts. The thesis focuses on three topics of inquiry: 1. Theoretical foundation: How can gendering and de-gendering processes of computational artifacts be theorized? 2. Practices of gendering: What are dimensions and mechanisms of gendering computational computational artifacts? 3. Methodological concepts for de-gendering: How can computational artefacts be designed, which can be characterized as de-gendered technologie