ICT4D and Critical Data Studies: A Joint Research Agenda

Abstract

The fields of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and critical data studies have been historically distinct from each other, each bearing different histories and research foci. However, recent evolutions of ICT4D have problematised the focus on “development” that originally characterised the field, and shifted to an approach that openly embraces themes proper of the newer field of critical data studies. In this paper, after outlining the conceptual evolution of ICT4D, we note its new intersection with the themes and problems posed by critical data studies. To detail such an intersection, we offer a joint research agenda – on themes of digital identity, datafication of the Global South and adverse digital incorporation – that groups together researchers from the two fields. By doing so, this paper sets the basis for a conversation between ICT4D and critical data studies, a conversation that can generate epistemological growth for both fields.