Data Algorithms and Social Justice

Project Directors: Matthew Jones, Laura Kurgan, Dennis Tenen, Chris Wiggins
Graduate Director: Nikita Shepard

The “Data, Algorithms, and Social Justice” working group at the Center for the Study of Social Difference catalyzes interdisciplinary dialogues and research into urgent contemporary issues around artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, power, and social change.

In the twenty-first century, conceptions of social difference are shifting rapidly in response to the increasing influence of algorithms and automated decision-making processes, with profound impacts on employment, medical care, criminal justice, government services, and more. Emerging techniques of data gathering and analysis not only impact the treatment of pre-existing social groups or demographic categories, but also create new vectors of difference along lines that do not neatly correspond to pre-digital collectivities. To effectively intervene in the injustices posed by our data-driven world will require new approaches and analytical tools, combining the critical lenses of the humanities with the skills of data scientists, programmers, statisticians, and more.

The Data, Algorithms, and Social Justice working group brings together scholars working in a variety of disciplines at Columbia and beyond to engage these critical questions, through these core activities: 

Building an interdisciplinary cohort of graduate students from different departments concerned with data and justice, through shared intellectual engagement, social events, and networking; 
Presenting public events on Columbia’s (virtual) campus, including lectures, panel discussions, film screenings, and participatory technology events 
Hosting a workshop series for graduate students and early career faculty from a range of disciplines to present ongoing research and works in progress before an interdisciplinary audience
Appointing graduate fellows each year to support innovative research into data, algorithms, and social justice across disciplines 
Building towards organizing a conference that will bring together leading scholars, students, researchers, activists, and community stakeholders for critical conversations on how data, algorithms, and machine learning processes impact social difference and justice.

To get involved, please contact Nikita Shepard (ns3307@columbia.edu), Graduate Director

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