Adopting an African Standpoint in HCI4D: A Provocation

Abstract

While studies in HCI4D have been advanced by the shift of perspective from developmental studies to a range of other discourses, current analytical concepts for understanding the sociality of society in Africa have arguably led to some misinterpretations of the place of technology. This provocation suggests that an 'African Standpoint' based on a combination of various standpoint positionalities and the Wittgensteinian approach of Winch can offer conceptual and analytical sensitivities for articulating social relations, transnational engagements and the conceptualisation of technological innovation. This provides an approach for seeing and accounting for things as they are-right here, right there and right now-and not some idealised conception of an African reality.

Provocations from #vanlife

“…Provocations have previously been used to stimulate discussions and critical thought among the HCI community, usually for large groups who historically have been overlooked by the community [1,29,32,40]. Previous research using provocations includes a study articulating social relations and transnational engagements through an African standpoint in HCI [1], "un-useless" playful and provocative suggestions to enhance digital TV [32], and the design of future intimate technologies for women during menopause [40].…”

Software Project Work in an African Context: Myths, Maps and Messes

“…In the global South, the research of information system (IS) has gained signifcant attention due to the widening of the technological divide, the failure of technology adoption and difusion across boundaries, and of the oversimplifcation of the potentials of technology to socio-cultural and economic development [3,15]. Research in postcolonial and indigenous HCI has also pointed to the need for examining the practices of innovation as a transnational issue where socio-cultural, economic, political, and material relations are made more open for both analysis and regeneration [1,17,34,35]. Transnational HCI and its associated approaches to understanding culture and context are considered as analytical lenses of examining the shifting associations between the global and the local [34].…”

Rethinking Technology Design and Deployment in Africa: Lessons from an African Standpoint

“…However, it appears that there are unanswered questions of whether postcolonial (or neo-colonial) paradigms are essential in adequately interpreting and representing African plural culture of design? [2,6]. Or whether neo-colonial tactics are needed in pushing the boundaries enacted by colonial conditions of design knowing?…”

“…The consideration of the alternative as 'indigenous' and 'African' is developed on the premise of shared inspiration for epistemic emancipation and political transformation in African communities [2]. In practice, the situated approach was considered as a spatial typology when thinking about the possibilities of designing and deploying educational technologies that can be adopted and used effectively by a range of stakeholders in Nigerian universities.…”

“…In essence, the central focus of this paper is to show how the situated orientation can provide mapping instruments for deconstructing design innovation in Africa [40], specifically in the context of Nigeria's software industry. This is relevant to recent efforts towards the development of an African approach to HCI [2,15], and indigenous approaches to HCI research more generally [17,32].…”