Open Data Movements in the Age of Big Data Capitalism
Tue 16 May 2017
17:00 – 19:00
Organised by the Westminster Institute for Advanced Studies
309 Regent Street
University of Westminster
London W1B 2HW
Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/open-data-movements-in-the-age-of-big-data-c…
A WIAS seminar with International Research Fellow Dr Arwid Lund and Open
Knowledge Activist Dr Jonathan Gray
Big data has received a lot of attention in recent years, open
data/knowledge less so, and the relation between open data/knowledge and
the predominantly commercial big data sector even less so. This seminar
aims at critically discussing and shedding light on the under-theorised
field of open data/knowledge and its relation to capitalism.
In this WIAS seminar, Dr Arwid Lund reflects on his study of the
ideological landscape underpinning the open data/knowledge movement
(Open Knowledge London). Dr Jonathan Gray focuses on his own involvement
in this movement and his forthcoming book Data Worlds: The new politics
of information. The aim of the seminar is to introduce critical
perspectives on open data/knowledge’s relation to capitalism, as well as
a critical understanding of the political character that informs its
advocates.
We will round the event off with a wine reception.
Dr Arwid Lund is a Lecturer at the Department of Arts and Cultural
Sciences, Lund University, Sweden. Arwid is completing the second part
of his WIAS fellowship from 3 April 2017 to 2 June 2017. During his
fellowship, he will be working on how ‘openness’ is understood
ideologically by advocates within the Open Knowledge Network. His aim is
to identify the ideological landscape within this movement.
Dr Jonathan Gray is a Prize Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research,
University of Bath. He is also Research Associate at the médialab of
Sciences Po and Tow Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism,
Columbia University. As Director of Policy and Research at the global
civil society organisation Open Knowledge, Jonathan has founded and
co-founded numerous initiatives, including the Data Journalism Handbook,
Europe’s Energy, Open Data for Tax Justice, OpenSpending, Open Trials,
The Public Domain Review and Where Does My Money Go?.