Program 2023

For us, ICT is not neutral. We are far away from producing, building, researching, using ICT in just and equitable ways. As far as injustices and harmful structures exist in all of society, they have defined and continue to define ICT just as much. On Tuesday, we are introduced to how decolonisation, moving beyond (digital) extractivism, and strengthening our digital rights are essential to making ICT more sustainable. We try to unfold these concepts to learn about their many impacts and to identify in what ways they lie at the foundation of the problems of sustainability in computer science today.

Each of us plays many different roles in our everyday lives. Whether we are early-stage researchers, advanced academics, political activists, consumers, teachers, users, workers, friends, partners, organizers, citizens, humans in this world. For Wednesday, we ask how we can shape our professional, private, public roles to respect planetary boundaries and enable change in these contexts, acknowledging the inherent contradictions involved in doing this.

On Thursday, we work on new imaginaries for sustainable futures. In the morning, we have a series of lightning talks, first from an artistic perspective (helping us to reimagine ICT) and then from various collectives working on alternative paths forward. Inspired by impressions, discussions, and learnings of the week, we collectively produce artifacts for radical imaginaries in the afternoon.

How to round off the week? To enable us to go home full of energy, we have one final talk on alternative futures, after which we hear about experiences/struggles of collectives working towards different futures in the form of a panel. We end the summer school with the ephemeral museum to which we all (participants, organizers, and speakers) contributed during the week.