[IRIS] Call for paper (AMCIS 2021) TRACK: Digital Technology for the Indigenous, of the Indigenous, and by the Indigenous

[Devendra Bahadur Thapa]

The information systems discipline (IS) has been at the forefront of helping organisations and society navigate the rapid terrain of technological change. However, despite decades of IS research, very few studies have examined the ICT-related experiences and practices of Indigenous people, as well as the digital artefacts they develop. The lack of IS research on Indigenous people is surprising because, in the last few decades, Indigenous people have purposefully begun using technology as a platform to reclaim their cultural identity and represent their cultural values in digital artefacts. The paucity of work in this domain may be both a cause and a consequence of the underrepresentation of indigenous groups within IS. Western worldviews, theories and assumptions continue to dominate the IS literature and are accepted and taken for granted as the normal way of doing things.
Across the world, Indigenous people have been and, in many places continue to be, discriminated against and marginalised. This track is an invitation to IS scholars and practitioners to showcase research for the Indigenous, of the Indigenous, and by the Indigenous to develop an inclusive understanding of information systems-related topics.
Exemplar topics and types of contributions looked-for
Topics of interest to the track include, but are not limited to:
*          Critical analysis of technology initiatives that involve Indigenous people
*          Technology and decolonisation
*          Emancipatory role of digital technology for Indigenous people
*          The role of Indigenous knowledge and practices in technology initiatives
*          Successful technology initiatives that embrace Indigenous knowledge and practices
*          Challenges associated with Indigenous technology initiatives
*          Indigenous knowledge and its applications in a specific technological context
*          The role of technology in addressing social inequality and inequity among Indigenous communities
*          The inclusion of Indigenous viewpoints in designing and developing technology
Track Chairs:
Angsana A. Techatassanasoontorn, Auckland University of Technology angsana at aut.ac.nz<mailto:angsana at aut.ac.nz>
AntonioDiaz Andrade, Auckland University of Technology antonio.diaz at aut.ac.nz<mailto:antonio.diaz at aut.ac.nz>
Amber Young, University of Arkansas ayoung at walton.uark.edu<mailto:ayoung at walton.uark.edu>
Harminder Singh, Auckland University of Technology harminder.singh at aut.ac.nz<mailto:harminder.singh at aut.ac.nz>
Mini-tracks:
Digital technology and decolonization, Indigenous cultural reclamation and identity restoration
Indigenous communities have had unique and somewhat mixed experiences with digital technology. In many cases, their experiences with digital technology have been described as being similar to what they underwent during colonization, when the overarching goal was to assimilate Indigenous communities into Western culture. Today, the absence of Indigenous methods and theories, particularly in the IS literature and social studies more generally, have led some researchers to use Western and/or Euro-centric methods to explore and explain Indigenous issues. Scholars have called this a process of colonization that marginalized Indigenous knowledge into Western frameworks. A decolonization of methods and theories is called for in research. This mini-track welcomes decolonization research that showcases Indigenous perspectives, using Indigenous theories and methods, and highlights how Indigenous communities use digital technology to overcome oppression and restore their Indigenous identity in society.
Hameed  Chughtai  h.chughtai at soton.ac.uk<mailto:h.chughtai at soton.ac.uk>
Devinder  Thapa  devinder.thapa at uia.no<mailto:devinder.thapa at uia.no>
Digital technology design and development for the Indigenous, of the Indigenous and by the Indigenous
Much of information systems research is dominated by the investigation of digital technology design and development that is embedded with Western worldviews. Moreover, the legacy of colonization translates into information systems/technologies that neither recognize Indigenous worldviews nor considers Indigenous needs. Despite being subjected to decades of colonization and marginalization, Indigenous communities around the world are increasingly turning to digital technology to serve their interests and goals. Instead of assuming that Indigenous communities are merely another group of technology developers, we need to recognize that Indigenous groups and Westerners have vastly different (and sometimes incompatible) worldviews that are likely to reflect in different approaches to digital technology design and development. However, these differences are not always accounted for in the information systems literature. This mini-track welcomes research that takes into consideration Indigenous worldviews in digital technology design and development. In particular, this track welcomes work that includes Indigenous people as the makers and developers of digital technologies.
Andrea  Jiminez  a.jimenez at sheffield.ac.uk<mailto:a.jimenez at sheffield.ac.uk>
Pitso  Tsibolane  pitso.tsibolane at uct.ac.za<mailto:pitso.tsibolane at uct.ac.za>
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Devinder Thapa, PhD (IE) & PhD (IS)
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Professor - Information Systems (ICT4D)
University of Agder (UiA), Norway
Department of Information Systems
P.O. Box: 422, NO-4604 Kristiansand
Building 'H', Room No:H1-039
Email: devinder.thapa at uia.no<mailto:devinder.thapa at uia.no>
Tel: +47 3814-1419
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