Hacking Diversity: The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures

by Christina Dunbar-Hester

A firsthand look at efforts to improve diversity in software and hackerspace communities

Hacking, as a mode of technical and cultural production, is commonly celebrated for its extraordinary freedoms of creation and circulation. Yet surprisingly few women participate in it: rates of involvement by technologically skilled women are drastically lower in hacking communities than in industry and academia. Hacking Diversity investigates the activists engaged in free and open-source software to understand why, despite their efforts, they fail to achieve the diversity that their ideals support.

Christina Dunbar-Hester shows that within this well-meaning volunteer world, beyond the sway of human resource departments and equal opportunity legislation, members of underrepresented groups face unique challenges. She brings together more than five years of firsthand research: attending software conferences and training events, working on message boards and listservs, and frequenting North American hackerspaces. She explores who participates in voluntaristic technology cultures, to what ends, and with what consequences. Digging deep into the fundamental assumptions underpinning STEM-oriented societies, Dunbar-Hester demonstrates that while the preferred solutions of tech enthusiasts—their “hacks” of projects and cultures—can ameliorate some of the “bugs” within their own communities, these methods come up short for issues of unequal social and economic power. Distributing “diversity” in technical production is not equal to generating justice.

Hacking Diversity reframes questions of diversity advocacy to consider what interventions might appropriately broaden inclusion and participation in the hacking world and beyond.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction

280 pages, Hardcover

Published December 10, 2019

About the author

Christina Dunbar-Hester is associate professor of communication in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Low Power to the People: Pirates, Protest, and Politics in FM Radio Activism.

Reviews

[LaanSiBB]

It is a miniature of physical reality (although virtual is also real), skill level comes with degree of diversity. Right-wing critique always pinpoints on the necessity of caring taxonomy, but data shows we should lean towards the left, as we are far from a society of equality. Another point raised by Dunbar-Hester is on voluntary work and the political hope shift from Washington to silicon valley, we should then scrutinise into the current economy where top 5 tech companies occupy half of US stock market shares, economy and politics should not be separate and we must hurry on bringing equity under digital-neo-capitalism.

[Dave Neary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought-provoking sociological text on diversity efforts in technical communities. A one-sentence summary might be that the goals and the impact of most diversity efforts are not consistent: goals that are couched in language of socio-political change, with actions and impact that are more local in impact. The broader political context of socio-economic inequity, an inequality of access to education and technology, are typically not in scope for diversity efforts.

Well worth a read.

[Rehana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible to non-computer/tech savvy folk, with a very helpful history of the rise of technology and computing cultures in the US. Some fun writing, I struggled a little bit with the overall argument of the book, but really enjoyed it as an experience in learning new things.

[Izabella Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

really obsessed with chapter 5. will be citing it in every research paper from now on.

love love love love the idea of 'domestic duties'. i hadn't heard it framed that way before and i really like the concept.