On Decolonizing Data | bpb.de

Our current era is fundamentally based on big data. We exist within a new system of knowledge creation where decision-making, actions, and relationships are informed by data analysis through sophisticated statistics and forecasting models. This system requires data scientists, high-performance computing power, and a massive volume of data to provide more precise predictions for decision-making across various sectors, including security, public administration, finance, health, commerce, labor, climate, education, and transportation. Additionally, historical forms of colonization are intensified by data assemblages, which involve a complex structure of practices, physicalities, regions, individuals, and self-perceptions. In this lecture, we learn about the concept of 'data decoloniality' and will see multiple examples of how the landscape of knowledge creation mirrors and perpetuates colonial disparities.