Hacking Diversity - The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures (Hardcover)

A firsthand look at efforts to improve diversity in software and hackerspace communities Hacking, as a mode of technical and cultural production, is commonly celebrated for its extraordinary freedoms of creation and circulation. Yet surprisingly few women participate in it: rates of involvement by technologically skilled women are drastically lower in hacking communities than in industry and academia. Hacking Diversity investigates the activists engaged in free and open-source software to understand why, despite their efforts, they fail to achieve the diversity that their ideals support. Christina Dunbar-Hester shows that within this well-meaning volunteer world, beyond the sway of human resource departments and equal opportunity legislation, members of underrepresented groups face unique challenges. She brings together more than five years of firsthand research: attending software conferences and training events, working on message boards and listservs, and frequenting North American hackerspaces. She explores who participates in voluntaristic technology cultures, to what ends, and with what consequences. Digging deep into the fundamental assumptions underpinning STEM-oriented societies, Dunbar-Hester demonstrates that while the preferred solutions of tech enthusiasts-their "hacks" of projects and cultures-can ameliorate some of the "bugs" within their own communities, these methods come up short for issues of unequal social and economic power. Distributing "diversity" in technical production is not equal to generating justice. Hacking Diversity reframes questions of diversity advocacy to consider what interventions might appropriately broaden inclusion and participation in the hacking world and beyond.

General

Imprint:	Princeton University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Princeton Studies in Culture and Technology
Release date:	December 2019
First published:	2020
Authors:	Christina Dunbar-Hester
Dimensions:	235 x 155 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Trade binding
Pages:	280
ISBN-13:	978-0-691-18207-0
Categories:	Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Communication studies > Media studies Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Impact of science & technology on society Books > Computing & IT > Computer programming > General Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > Popular culture Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Equal opportunities Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Anthropology > Social & cultural anthropology > General Promotions
LSN:	0-691-18207-8
Barcode:	9780691182070

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