CS547 Human-Computer Interaction Seminar   (Seminar on People, Computers, and Design)

Fridays 11:30am-12:30pm PT · Gates B3 · Open to the public
Previous | Next
Sasha Costanza-Chock
MIT
Design Justice and the distribution of affordances and disaffordances under the matrix of domination
April 12, 2019

Design justice refers to a concern with how the design of sociotechnical systems influences the distribution of affordances, disaffordances, risks, harms, and benefits among various groups of people. In particular, design justice focuses on the ways that design reproduces, is reproduced by, and/or challenges what Black feminist scholar Patricia Hill Collins terms the matrix of domination (white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, capitalism, and settler colonialism). In this talk, I'll discuss these concepts and describe the emerging community of practice that aims to ensure a more equitable distribution of design's benefits and burdens; fair and meaningful participation in design decisions; and recognition of community based design traditions, knowledge, and practices.

Sasha Costanza-Chock (pronouns: they/them or she/her) is a scholar, activist, and media-maker, and currently Associate Professor of Civic Media at MIT. They are a Faculty Associate at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, Faculty Affiliate with the MIT Open Documentary Lab and the MIT Center for Civic Media, and creator of the MIT Codesign Studio ([codesign.mit.edu](https://codesign.mit.edu)). Their work focuses on social movements, transformative media organizing, and design justice. Sasha's first book, Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets: Transmedia Organizing and the Immigrant Rights Movement was published by the MIT Press in 2014. They are a board member of Allied Media Projects (AMP); AMP convenes the annual Allied Media Conference and cultivates media strategies for a more just, creative and collaborative world ([alliedmedia.org](https://alliedmedia.org)).