Authors:
Shaniah Reece, Covenant Adenuga, Tierra Ablorh, Yolanda A. Rankin
One of the criticisms of applying intersectionality as a critical framework in human-computer interaction research is related to developing appropriate methods that can be utilized in the design of technology. The solution lies in the diversity of experiences of intersectional populations and standpoint epistemology. Standpoint epistemology values lived experience as valid knowledge or a way of knowing, resisting the notion of objectivity as being more rigorous or scientific [1,2]. Patricia Hill Collins writes, "By claiming the authority of experience, standpoint epistemology defends the integrity of individuals and groups in interpreting their own experiences…[E]xperiences and creative social action provide distinctive angles of vision on racism, heteropatriarchy, and capitalist class relations for people who are differentially privileged and penalized within such systems" [1]. This statement belabors the significance of giving credence to perspectives that do not reflect dominant populations in society. The sharing and evaluation of lived experiences remains the responsibility of members of intersectional populations who otherwise have no power or influence in determining the unequal outcomes that affect their everyday experiences. Applying intersectionality as a critical design approach means endowing intersectional populations with epistemic authority to design, develop, and evaluate technology on the basis of their values, sociocultural norms, practices, and whatever else is deemed significant to them.
Insights
→ Those who practice Black feminism are activists, because Black feminism is the conscientious decision to call out and resist systemic oppression in its many forms.
→ Scholars need to use their privilege, power, and platform to recognize Black feminism as being essential to feminist HCI.
→ In the spirit of sisterhood and solidarity, feminist scholars need to cultivate and encourage those who are marginalized within the field of feminist HCI.
As a Black feminist scholar, I struggle with the dichotomy of epistemic resistance—fighting against structures of oppression that dictate whose scholarship and research methods are acceptable in academia while playing by the rules and expectations of the academy (e.g., publishing, getting grants, advising students) to achieve upward career mobility. I argue that Black feminist epistemologies or Black women's ways of knowing represent valid forms of knowledge production that are recognized as both scholarship and critical research methods informed by the unique perspectives of Black women [3]. Recognizing and utilizing my own privilege and power in academic spaces while interrogating for what purpose and at what price requires much self-reflection.
Epistemic Resistance: Using my Power, Privilege, and Platform
As an example of epistemic resistance, my research is motivated by the need to develop and embrace appropriate design methods that center and elevate intersectional populations' experiences conceptualizing, designing, and interacting with technology [4]. My research has confirmed what I already knew: Black women in computing want to not only be seen and heard but also to influence positive change in the field of computing and the world that they live in. In accordance with practicing Black feminist principles [3], I leverage my power and privilege to create a space for Black women to exercise agency and testimonial authority—the practice of Black women using their own words to think about and reflect on their own experiences [1]. Black women who exercise their testimonial authority have formed the basis of my research for the past seven years. One way of ensuring that Black women in computing are heard is to use my platform to elevate their voices and lived experiences as they think about, interact with, and design technology.
Acknowledging that the field of HCI typically utilizes traditional design approaches that maintain the status quo, Shaowen Bardzell [5] warns designers against taking an activist stance, as this "seems to privilege the social values of the designer" and not those of the consumers or users of technology. As a Black feminist scholar, I cannot relinquish an activist stance because it goes against the practice of Black feminism. An activist stance might be problematic but only in a specific scenario: when the designer is not the user or potential consumer of the technology. In the field of HCI, however, those of us who have specialized training, education, and credentials such as degrees in design or HCI research have traditionally been privileged. I see a need to encourage, support, and cultivate Black women intellectuals who are in the process of becoming their full authentic selves, especially as they develop an appreciation for HCI. Unapologetically, I choose to use the Designing at the Intersections forum as a means to position Black women college students in computing who represent one of the least privileged and empowered populations in academia, giving them a platform to talk about the ways that feminist HCI and, more broadly, the field of HCI can benefit from Black women's perspectives. Here, I present three vignettes by rising Black women scholars of diverse intersectional backgrounds.
—Yolanda A. Rankin
First vignette. I am a proud Nigerian woman and an international student who obtained her bachelor's degree in computer science from a historically Black college in the U.S. and has since then matriculated into a doctoral program at a predominantly white institution (PWI). I am also a first-generation foreign student who aspires to a career in computing.
Shaowen Bardzell's [5] foundational paper integrates feminist theory into HCI, encouraging a shift from focusing solely on gender equality to embracing a wider set of feminist principles. Bardzell suggests that a feminist approach to HCI should go beyond achieving gender balance and promote values and social justice in the design of technology. By incorporating feminist theory, HCI can critically evaluate and reshape design practices. Integrating these values into HCI can help address issues of marginalization and bias, fostering technologies that are inclusive; they can also encourage participation and meet the needs of underrepresented communities. In her work, Bardzell highlights several feminist values that should guide technology development, including pluralism, participation, advocacy, self-disclosure, and ecological thinking.
As an international student living in a foreign country, I strongly connect with her ideas, especially inclusion, equity, and empowerment in technology design. Immigrants often face unique challenges when interacting with systems that aren't tailored to their experiences—whether through language barriers, cultural differences, or having to navigate unfamiliar legal frameworks. A feminist HCI approach that values pluralism and participation offers a way forward for more-inclusive technologies that address our diverse needs.
By incorporating feminist theory, HCI can critically evaluate and reshape design practices.
Bardzell [5] posed the question, "How do we simultaneously serve real-world computing needs and avoid perpetuating the marginalization of women and indeed any group in technology?" While technology has great potential to support marginalized communities, it frequently reflects the power structures of dominant groups. Immigrants like me often encounter structural barriers, such as limited access to digital resources or biases built into the systems we depend on for acclimating. For instance, using government service platforms can be particularly frustrating for immigrants. These systems, typically designed for native citizens, frequently overlook the linguistic and cultural needs of people from other countries. Accessing healthcare services through a digital platform, for example, can be challenging due to the lack of non-English language options and the complexity of legal terms. Many immigrants come from different legal and healthcare systems and are left to navigate unfamiliar structures alone. Moreover, these platforms often assume a certain level of digital literacy that immigrants, especially those from countries with fewer technological resources, may not possess. The design does not account for these factors, further complicating access to essential services. Without adequate support, such as multilingual options or user-friendly interfaces, immigrants feel excluded and underserved.
Second vignette. I identify as a first-generation Ghanaian-American who was born and raised in the Southeastern U.S. As an undergraduate computer science major at a PWI, I advocate for user-centered technology solutions to address various disparities that negatively affect marginalized communities.
One of the contributions of feminist HCI is its commitment to designing for social change. This is evident in Bardzell's critique of traditional HCI research methods that are supposedly neutral and merely regard users as research subjects [5]. Neutrality claims in HCI research methods evaluate scientific findings independent of social perspectives. The tendency to otherize nondominant populations promotes exclusion and discriminatory practices. In contrast, feminist HCI positions users as individuals with valuable lived experiences that are shaped by "cultural, social, regional, and national differences in user experiences and outlooks" [5]. In this way, feminist HCI pushes against research methods that otherize marginalized communities.
Just as feminist HCI embraces multiple perspectives, we recognize Black feminist thought as a valid framework for doing HCI research [4] that centers Black women's experiences. Black feminist thought can be applied as a critical framework for conducting user studies with Black women, requiring the researcher to engage in radical empathy, referred to as "ethics of caring" [3]. Black feminist thought rejects the idea of a uniform lived experience indicative of all Black women. For example, I haven't had the same experience as other Black women who are first-generation college students. The appreciation of the diverse experiences of Black women, in addition to actively listening and uplifting them, has historically been overlooked. Ethics of caring values the importance of Black women's individual self-expression and emotions as part of the knowledge production process—the opposite of HCI research methods that value objectivity and disregard subjectivity. Empathizing with a marginalized group that is often overlooked embodies the essence of radical empathy.
Black feminist thought rejects the idea of a uniform lived experience indicative of all Black women.
Similarly, design thinking and user-centered process in HCI encourage designers to fully immerse themselves in users' experiences. These HCI practices demonstrate that user empathy is ineffective without a close and intimate understanding of users' experiences. From a Black feminist perspective, this means that the designer must be in a relationship with and care for Black women. A superficial relationship results in objectifying Black women as a commodity in the design process, and is inadequate because it defines Black women as homogeneous and one-dimensional. We often see this unfolding in the context of researchers of privileged identities conducting research that involves Black women. This represents a failed attempt to prioritize empathy for Black women, and consequently misaligns not only with Black feminist thought as a critical framework for design but also with feminist HCI.
Third vignette. I am a Black Caribbean woman and an international student who immigrated to the U.S. in the 2010s to pursue a college education in computer science. As a computer science doctoral student, I am excited to explore the ways that Black feminism can inform how we design technology with Black women.
Bardzell [5] highlights the state of feminism in HCI and encourages researchers to proactively employ feminist frameworks. She discusses the importance of shifting from feminism as a critical strategy to a praxis in HCI. A significant concern I have with her paper is that it neglects to mention prominent Black feminist scholars, such as bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins, who have made significant contributions to the theoretical underpinnings of feminism.
bell hooks critiqued mainstream feminism for its exclusion of marginalized voices for decades. In her book Feminism Is for Everybody [6], hooks defines feminism as a movement to end sexist oppression and exploitation, advocating for a more inclusive strategy that creates a "powerful sisterhood" among working-class women, privileged white women, Black women and other women of color, and women of different sexual orientations. She critiques feminist frameworks that do not renounce patriarchy, racism, and other social injustices, denouncing "selfish" feminist factions that seek to compete with men rather than support the interests of women. In her book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center [7], hooks emphasizes the importance of feminism as a praxis to effectively challenge oppressive structures. These perspectives parallel Bardzell's claims about the utility of feminism to challenge dominant structures, such as patriarchy in HCI, and advocacy as a means for resisting these oppressive structures [5].
Collins has also long advocated for pluralism, including Black women's critical social theory, known as Black feminist thought, and the need for knowledge-producing spaces as essential to social justice efforts [3]. In the knowledge production process, she stresses the importance of recognizing multiple knowledge systems, especially those of marginalized groups in intellectual and nonacademic spaces where diverse voices can further enrich feminist theory. Finally, Collins aligns Black feminist thought with other social justice efforts around the globe, pointing out that the fight for Black women's humanity is not the end goal in and of itself, but rather "part of a wider struggle for human dignity, empowerment, and social justice" [3].
I shine a light specifically on these two Black women because their work helped expand the theoretical foundations of feminism and intersectionality. Furthermore, their contributions inform the research of Black feminist scholars such as Sheena Erete, Christina Harrington, India Irish, Shamika Klassen, Tyler Musgrave, Jihan Sherman, and others who apply these critical frameworks to design technology based on the lived experiences of Black women. Failure to acknowledge or view these women as pivotal to feminist HCI is an example of epistemic violence in academia.
References
1. Collins, P.H. Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory. Duke Univ. Press, 2019.
2. Harding, S. Rethinking standpoint epistemology: What is "strong objectivity"? The Centennial Review 36, 3 (1992), 437–70.
3. Collins, P.H. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Routledge, New York, 2000.
4. Rankin, Y.A. and Irish, I. A seat at the table: Black feminist thought as a critical framework for inclusive game design. Proc. ACM on HCI 4, CSCW2 (2020), 1–26.
5. Bardzell, S. Feminist HCI: Taking stock and outlining an agenda for design. Proc. of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, New York, 2010, 1301–10.
6. hooks, b. Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. Pluto Press, 2000.
7. hooks, b. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. South End Press, Boston, 1984.
Authors
Shaniah Reece is a second-year Ph.D. student in computer science at Emory University, focusing on the intersection of technology, health, and equity. Her research aims to develop innovative solutions that promote equitable access to healthcare through technology. [email protected]
Covenant Adenuga is a first-year Ph.D. student in computer science and informatics at Emory University. She is deeply passionate about exploring the intersection of machine learning and its applications in solving real-world problems. [email protected]
Tierra Ablorh is a senior studying computer science and global development studies at Emory University. She is a first-generation Ghanaian-American college student passionate about utilizing technology-based solutions to address disparities in society. [email protected]
Yolanda A. Rankin is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Emory University and director of the DEsigning TechnOlogies for the UndeRserved (DETOUR) Research Lab. She applies Black feminist epistemologies as critical frameworks for designing technology with Black women and other intersectional populations. [email protected]
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