Author: Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein
Publisher: MIT Press
Publication Year: 2020
Summary: In the following book D’Ignazio and Klein present a new lens for thinking about data science and ethics. Their ideas are based on the concept of “intersectionality” coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw which is understood as “the acknowledgement that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression that is influenced by the combination of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.” They organize the idea of data feminism around seven principles: 1). Analyze how power operates in the world; 2). Challenge unequal power structures and move toward justice; 3). Elevate emotion, embodiment, and other other forms of knowledge; 4). Rethink binaries and hierarchies; 5). Synthesize multiple perspectives, with priority given to local, Indigenous, and experiential ways of knowing; 6). Consider the context of data and how they were collected; and 7). Make labor visible. With these principles in mind, data professionals can reveal and challenge existing power structures.