HASTAC 2019

"Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education"
Unceded Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) Territory
UBC Vancouver
16-18 May 2019

About

On 16-18 May 2019, the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory (HASTAC), in partnership with the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Department of English at the University of Victoria (UVic), will be guests on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) people, facilitating a conference about decolonizing technologies and reprogramming education.


Conference Theme

The conference will hold up and support Indigenous scholars and knowledges, centering work by Indigenous women and women of colour. It will engage how technologies are, can be, and have been decolonized. How, for instance, are extraction technologies repurposed for resurgence? Or, echoing Ellen Cushman, how do we decolonize digital archives? Equally important, how do decolonial and anti-colonial practices shape technologies and education? How, following Kimberlé Crenshaw, are such practices intersectional? How do they correspond with what Grace Dillon calls Indigenous Futurisms? And how do they foster what Eve Tuck and Wayne Yang describe as an ethic of incommensurability, unsettling not only assumptions of innocence but also discourses of reconciliation?

With these investments, HASTAC 2019: “Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education” will engage topics such as:

Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) artist, Diamond Point, designed the conference logo. She writes:

As an emerging artist, I intend to create artwork that connects the old with the new and is constantly changing the more life experience I gain. I wanted to represent that idea with this piece. I describe my artwork as contemporary because my designs are current but also respectful of traditional design elements. I wanted the logo to convey the conference’s theme, “Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education.” The Thunderbird not only represents UBC, but also represents the theme of the conference. Thunderbird is known to be highly intelligent, carries out protocol, and asserts justice into communities in need. I thought this fit well with the concept of decolonization. Within the Thunderbird design I have incorporated Coast Salish design elements in order to showcase the beautiful artwork our ancestors have created for thousands of years. In a contemporary aspect, I decided to make the circles within Thunderbird pixelated. The circle represents the symbol of life. Today, technology has become such a big influence within day-to-day life. Technology connects all of us. In saying that, sometimes being so technologically connected can come with cautions. Thunderbird is able to protect us and give us strength moving forward for the future generations to come.

Organizers

The Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Department of English at the University of Victoria (UVic) are organizing HASTAC 2019: “Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education” with the following members of the programming committee:

The organizers and programming committee are collaborating with HASTAC’s administrative team:

As well as the conference communications and curatorial team:

Volunteers

We would also like to thank our amazing team of HASTAC 2019 volunteers, led by volunteer coordinator, Tracey El Hajj (University of Victoria): Janni Aragon, Natalie Boldt, Kailey Fukushima, Stefan Higgins, Ashley Howard, and Sam Postuk (University of Victoria); Kashema Hutchinson, Gustavo Jimenez, Christina Katopodis, Sujung Kim, Adashima Oyo, and Siqi Tu (City University of New York); and Caolan Barr, Rachael Bullock, Janet Calderon, Jennifer Cameron, Patricia Derbyshire, Ben Dixon, Jaymyn La Vallee, Jessie Lackstein, Parboti Roy, Autumn Schnell, and Eric Zheng (University of British Columbia).

Partners and Sponsors

HASTAC 2019 is supported by a Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) as well as by the following partners and sponsors:

License

This site and all HASTAC 2019 conference materials are licensed CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0, with the Traditional Knowledge O (TK O) label. This label asks you to respect the designated circulation conditions for this material and, where possible, to develop a means for fair and equitable reciprocal exchange for the use of this material with the relevant TK holders. This exchange might include access to educational or other resources that are difficult to access under normal circumstances.

Questions

Please email info@hastac2019.org with any questions you have about the conference. Please email registration@housing.ubc.ca with any questions about registration and accommodations.


We would like to acknowledge that the University of British Columbia is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. We thank the Musqueam Nation for its hospitality and support of our work.

We would also like to acknowledge with respect the Lkwungen-speaking peoples on whose traditional territory the University of Victoria stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

HASTAC wishes to express our deep gratitude to the Musqueam people for allowing us to engage digital territories on this unceded land. Changing the way we teach and learn means challenging the colonial foundations of education and technology. We are grateful for the opportunity to do this work here. Thank you.

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Logo for the University of British Columbia Logo for the University of Victoria Traditional Knowledge Label O

Logo for UBC First Nations House of Learning

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