These are the slides of my presentation at the Digital Sociology Miniconference at ESS 2016. I am a PhD candidate in Sociology at Northeastern University, Boston.

1. F I R U Z E H S H O K O O H V A L L E
E S S B O S T O N
M A R C H 2 0 1 6
D R E A M I N G T H E F U T U R E : T H E
G E N D E R E D T E C H N O P O L I T I C S O F
D E V E L O P M E N T

4. R E S E A R C H Q U E S T I O N S
1- How is “gender and technology” as discourse and practice being
constructed; what are the origins and trajectories?
2- What are the commonalities and differences of both official
organizations and activist approaches in Latin America to
empowering marginalized women through technology?
3- What kinds subjectivities are emerging?

5. T H E O R E T I C A L F R A M E W O R K
• Critical Gender and Development Studies (Cornwall et al.
2007; Kabeer 1994; Karim 2011; Rankin 2001; Roy 2012;
Sen and Grown 1987)
• Feminist Science and Technology Studies (Harding 2008;
Layne et al. 2010; Wajcman 1991; 2007)
• Postcolonial Theory (Mohanty 1988)

6. R E S E A R C H M E T H O D S
• Three case studies: APC (transnational network), Sula Batsú
(Costa Rica), Colnodo (Colombia)
• 70 in-depth interviews: grassroots organizations, international
development agencies, state officials, technology corporations
• Participant observation: Costa Rica and Colombia
• Textual analysis: organizational literature, international
development institutional reports (UN, World Bank, USAID),
corporative reports, newspaper articles

10. “The new technologies are a lifeline that can enable women in developing
countries to join the battle for economic, social, and political
empowerment.“
USAID 2001
“It is important to stress that the impact of ICTs will not be understood
through people’s access to technology alone but on the impact of ICTs on
the social, political, and economic structures of communities on people’s
livelihoods and on their perceptions of the role that technology can play in
their lives.”
FAO 2003

11. “Engaging women and girls in ICT sector work is not only the right thing
to do from the point of social justice. It is also smart economics. gender
balance in high value ICT jobs in both management and on company
boards has proven to improve business performance.”
ITU 2012
“Female entrepreneurs reinvest in their communities, drive growth, and
inspire girls to chase their own dreams though often faced with financial
and cultural barriers.”
UN Broadband Commission 2013

12. “We are a business, we compete in a market, we have customers,
and we are not afraid to say that. We have prices. What we do not
have is a focus on profitability ... We have a feminine or feminist
approach to business, to entrepreneurship. For example, for us the
pleasure of going to work should be part of entrepreneurship, and
love for your compañeras de trabajo [colleagues] should be part of
managing a business. In the theory and analysis of entrepreneurship,
this is never taken into account. People speak of profitability,
marketing, but not about these other things. The main bastion of our
work is passion. For us, passion is part of how we manage our
business; fun, laughter. The other thing is the capacity of making and
recognizing mistakes, without malicious intent obviously. [This is our]
model of a solidarity-based economy.”
-Excerpt from interview member of Sula Batsú

13. “If women are immersed in these processes [of developing,
designing, and creating technology], inventions will respond to very
different needs. Because so far what we have seen are
stereotypical needs, by way of patriarchy, and like it or not,
technology is influenced by this. What is the need for women to
look beautiful, be beautiful? It’s never about comfort. If a woman
participates in the creation of technology, since she herself can
identify with certain needs of the population, gradually these apps
and inventions will be made to help us”.
-Excerpt interview member Sula Batsú

16. “I believe that when we produce our own knowledge, we can appropriate
this knowledge and take advantage of it. This is one of the things that
happens when we go from consuming to creating technology, and in this
process we can also benefit economically. If you consume mobile phones
or some other type of technological artifact, it does not have to be only for
entertainment, but to bring real benefits for your life and for earning profit.
More than leisure and entertainment, technology can directly benefit
women’s lives in economic terms, and also help them make an impact,
defend their rights, and defend the rights of other populations that are
vulnerable too.”
-Excerpt interview member Sula Batsú

20. T H A N K Y O U
F I R U Z E H S V @ G M A I L . C O M