Our Decolonial Moment

Gil, Guillermo Rebollo

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92976-7_10

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The austerity measures imposed over the last decade, which included cuts in energy, education, health, and transportation, destabilized state institutions that provide critical services and put Puerto Rico in a fiscal crisis (Cabán 2018; Instituto Caribeño de Derechos Humanos [ICADH] 2016; Farber 2018; Rebollo-Gil 2018). Moreover, activists argued they did not have government supporters; therefore, their initiatives to solve the issues brought on by the crisis did not receive any backing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Officially, Puerto Rico is an archipelago in the Caribbean organized as a self-governing, commonwealth, and unincorporated US territory. For this reason, Puerto Rican scholars argue the archipelago is the subject of US colonial and imperial doctrine (Ayala and Bernabe 2009; Briggs 2006; Grosfoguel 2003; Rebollo-Gil 2018; Rivera Ramos 2009). For example, even though Puerto Ricans are US citizens, they cannot vote for the US president and do not have voting representation in Congress while they live in Puerto Rico (Rebollo-Gil 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this reason, Puerto Rican scholars argue the archipelago is the subject of US colonial and imperial doctrine (Ayala and Bernabe 2009; Briggs 2006; Grosfoguel 2003; Rebollo-Gil 2018; Rivera Ramos 2009). For example, even though Puerto Ricans are US citizens, they cannot vote for the US president and do not have voting representation in Congress while they live in Puerto Rico (Rebollo-Gil 2018). 1 Conversely, the US President and Congress can make decisions about Puerto Rico.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Conversely, the US President and Congress can make decisions about Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Studies scholars describe its political circumstances as “belonging to, but not being a part of” the United States (Rebollo-Gil 2018, 2). Moreover, with the support of local political and economic elites, the United States has promoted a series of neoliberal and austerity measures that have raised public debt (Cabán 2018; Laguarta Ramírez 2018), sparked an economic recession, food insecurity, fiscal crisis (Gluzmann, Guzman, and Stiglitz 2018; LeBrón 2016; ICADH 2016), and weakened critical infrastructure (Wolff 2016; Ficek 2018; Tormos-Aponte and Ciro-Martinez 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Working at the Seams of Colonial Structures: Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures Revealed by Hurricane Maria

Vasquez

2021

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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This study explains why and how Puerto Rican activists responded effectively to the crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. By relying on a structural approach, this study analyzes the local institutional environment. Using the seamful work framework, it examines activists’ practice to reveal activists’ relation with their official state infrastructure and their interactions with said infrastructure before and after Maria. Using semi-structured interviews, observations, and publicly available documents, this study shows that activists navigate the state’s unequal infrastructure by building their infrastructures, called alternative sociotechnical infrastructures, which consist of a set of heterogeneous assortments of actors, organizations, and technologies to address state-driven inequality and natural disasters. Activists do not work to restore existing state infrastructures, instead, they deploy their expertise in their communities to address many of the challenges brought on by disasters. This study emphasizes a bottom-up approach, highlighting local actors’ agency by focusing on the convergence of their knowledge, organizations, and Information and Communication Technologies. Moreover, this research proposes that state-community disconnect is rooted in neoliberal and colonial measures and cautions against considering disasters as opportunities to start anew. Finally, this research proposes new possibilities to plan bottom-up relief efforts that acknowledge the role of civil society and activists.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Working at the Seams of Colonial Structures: Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures Revealed by Hurricane Maria

Vasquez

2021

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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“…These natural disasters left widespread devastation, destroying already‐weak infrastructure and causing large‐scale death tolls. Puerto Rico is officially a territory of the United States and, as such, has historically suffered from public debt, economic recession, fiscal crisis, and food insecurity due to imposed colonial doctrines, neoliberal policies, and austerity measures (Briggs, 2006; Cabán, 2018; Gluzmann et al, 2018; Rebollo‐Gil, 2018; Rivera Ramos, 2009). Before, during, and after the hurricanes, Puerto Ricans engaged in daily information practices (Cox, 2012; Kitzie et al, 2022; Olsson & Lloyd, 2017)—for example, seeking, evaluating, and using information to start a business, access utilities, solve problems, or access aid 1…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information precarity and the agentic practices of marginalized communities: Puerto Rican activists addressing the crisis before, during, and after Hurricane Maria

Vasquez

Oltmann

2023

Asso for Info Science & Tech

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In this study, we propose that information precarity leads to and perpetuates information marginalization; communities then engage with marginalization with various types of proactive information practices. For this project, we explore how Puerto Ricans activists responded to information precarity before, during, and after Hurricane Maria. We interviewed activists about their experiences navigating the local and federal institutional environment and their information practices. We show that although Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage after Hurricane Maria, its already‐weakened infrastructure, coupled with fiscal instability, had created a state of information precarity for many people before the hurricane hit. We also show how Puerto Rican activists engaged in solidarity‐based, anti‐colonial, and anti‐neoliberal information activities. While previous models argue that people respond to marginalization with defensive/protective behavior, we propose people go beyond just responding; they enact their agency, resourcefulness, collective interests, and locally based knowledge to engage in proactive and subversive information practices. We conclude that marginalized actors who are critical of the structures that marginalize them transform their state of precarity into an alternative space where they can achieve their goals.

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Our Decolonial Moment

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

Working at the Seams of Colonial Structures: Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures Revealed by Hurricane Maria

Working at the Seams of Colonial Structures: Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures Revealed by Hurricane Maria

Information precarity and the agentic practices of marginalized communities: Puerto Rican activists addressing the crisis before, during, and after Hurricane Maria

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