Identity Decolonization and Computing

Outcome: CHI 24, CSCW 24, CHI 22, CSCW 21, and Submitted

Overview

This project investigates how colonial histories continue to shape identity, discourse, and participation in contemporary sociotechnical systems. Focusing on Bengali communities across transnational contexts, it examines how platforms, algorithms, and governance structures both enable and constrain processes of identity decolonization.

Approach

This research adopts a mixed-methods approach spanning multiple layers of the sociotechnical stack:

• Qualitative studies: Semi-structured interviews with YouTube content creators engaging in decolonial discourse
• Platform analysis: Examination of governance, moderation, and monetization systems on Quora and YouTube
• Computational methods: Audits and analysis of bias in NLP tools and datasets in low-resource language contexts

Key Findings and Contributions

• Online platforms can enable collaborative identity work and narrative reclamation
• Platform governance and algorithmic systems often reproduce colonial hierarchies
• Users engage in relational labor and infrastructural improvisation to sustain participation
• Decolonial discourse is an ongoing, negotiated, and fragile work shaped by sociotechnical constraints
• Develops methodological approaches for studying sociocultural bias in low-resource and Global South contexts
• Provides design and policy implications for more equitable and culturally responsive systems