Big Data from the South(s): Beyond Data Universalism

TitleBig Data from the South(s): Beyond Data Universalism
Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsMilan, Stefania, and Emiliano Treré
JournalTelevision & New Media
Volume20
Issue4
Pagination319-335
ISSN1527-4764
AbstractThis article introduces the tenets of a theory of datafication of and in the Souths. It calls for a de-Westernization of critical data studies, in view of promoting a reparation to the cognitive injustice that fails to recognize non-mainstream ways of knowing the world through data. It situates the “Big Data from the South” research agenda as an epistemological, ontological, and ethical program and outlines five conceptual operations to shape this agenda. First, it suggests moving past the “universalism” associated with our interpretations of datafication. Second, it advocates understanding the South as a composite and plural entity, beyond the geographical connotation (i.e., “global South”). Third, it postulates a critical engagement with the decolonial approach. Fourth, it argues for the need to bring agency to the core of our analyses. Finally, it suggests embracing the imaginaries of datafication emerging from the Souths, foregrounding empowering ways of thinking data from the margins.
URLhttps://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419837739
DOI10.1177/1527476419837739
Short TitleBig Data from the South(s)