Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society: Methods and Practices for Investigation and Intervention

The influence of austerity measures and neoliberal ideologies has sparked discussions about the relevance and value of academic institutions, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. Universities are redirecting academic focus towards greater societal engagement. This book argues that academia has much to gain by moving beyond its institutional walls, in our case, by doing data work with stakeholders and civil society. This collaborative work benefits citizens in our democratic, open societies and advances our knowledge economies.

Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society offers a combination of theoretical insights, practical methodologies, and case studies, showcasing the power of collaborative research with stakeholders across diverse communities and civil society to tackle challenges that address pressing issues stemming from data practices and social justice issues. Taken together, the book’s chapters formulate relevant concepts for grounding societally engaged research in the theories and methodologies from different disciplines. In addition, the book informs university administrators and research directors how to advance academia effectively towards mutual knowledge transfer with societal sectors.

Mirko Tobias Schäfer is Associate Professor of AI, Data & Society at Utrecht University’s research area ’Governing the Digital Society’ and the Department for Information and Computing Sciences. Mirko is co-founder and Sciences lead of the Data School. He studies the datafication of public management and engages in the development of responsible and accountable AI and data practices. Karin van Es is Associate Professor, Media and Culture Studies, and project lead Humanities at Data School at Utrecht University. Her research contributes to the fields of software studies and critical data studies. She currently studies streaming video platforms, examining media policies and exploring innovative methods to analyze these services. Tracey P. Lauriault is Associate Professor, Critical Media and Big Data and board member of the Institute for Data Science at Carleton University in Canada. As a data and technological citizen, she examines data and technological systems to make them more just, inclusive, equitable and environmentally sustainable.