Anti-Racist HCI: notes on an emerging critical technical practice

Veronica Abebe, Gagik Amaryan, Marina Beshai, Ilene, Ali Ekin Gurgen, Wendy Ho, Naaji R. Hylton, Daniel Kim, Christy Lee, Carina Lewandowski, Katherine T. Miller, Lindsey A. Moore, Rachel Sylwester, Ethan Thai, Frelicia N. Tucker, Toussaint Webb, Dorothy Zhao, Haicheng Charles Zhao, Janet Vertesi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Our everyday technologies evidence clear examples of racial bias. Rather than attempt to eliminate bias through seeking fairness in algorithms, regulatory intervention or a race-blind stance, this paper seeks to correct the balance by adopting an explictly anti-racist approach to the design of sociotechnical systems. As a research-through-design initiative, we bring techniques from critical technical practice to bear on revealing and inverting assumptions in HCI, attempting to produce alternative sociotechnical systems that aim not merely to reveal or correct but to destablize or dismantle systems of oppression. We articulate core principles to guide such work and articulate four system prototypes to interrogate anti-racist HCI as a potential form of critical technical practice. We conclude with discussion of the challenges that face anti-racist HCI in terms of timing, reflection, and failure, addressing what an anti-racist critical technical practice reveals about the enduring structural sources of inequity in the products and practices of HCI.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCHI 2022 - Extended Abstracts of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9781450391566
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 27 2022
Event2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2022 - Virtual, Online, United States
Duration: Apr 30 2022May 5 2022

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2022
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirtual, Online
Period4/30/225/5/22

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

Keywords

  • antiracism
  • critical technical practice

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