Spider ICT4D Seminars: Gendering of Technology or the technology of gendering?

The seminar draws on research among urban and rural farmers in Uganda on their access and use of ICTs in their everyday lives. Drawing on theories from gender and technology studies Caroline Wamala, PhD will analyze access and use of ICTs in Uganda and focus in particular on the cultural embeddedness of gender and technology from a development perspective. Here it is important to emphasize that access does not necessarily equal use and vice versa. Data from observations and interviews will be used to illustrate the importance of the social environment in which ICTs operate and how the underdeveloped state of the infrastructure prompted farmers’ to negotiate access and use in very innovative ways.

Caroline Wamala, PhD in Gender and Technology from Luleå Technical University and project officer at Spider.

Pirjo Elovaara, PhD is a lecturer at the School of Planning and Media Design, Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH).Pirjo was one of the Swedish partners in the Spider project Women's Digital Baskets in Rwanda.

This was the first seminar of our Spider ICT4D Seminars. The seminar series will feature established and upcoming researchers in the field of ICT4D to illuminate current research in the area. The series should be of interest to researchers, students, policy makers and development actors.

February 2 - David Isaksson, journalist and writer at Global Reporting and Spider board member

February 16 - Björn Pehrson, Professor emeritus, KTH

March 29 - Pedro Ferreira, PhD Student, Mobile Life Centre

April 26 - Johan Hellström, PhD Student, DSV, Spider advisor

May 31 - Paula Uimonen, PhD, Director of Spider

All seminars are held in room C at DSV in Kista, with starting time 16:00 (4 PM CET). There will be a webcast of these events.