2023 Annual Conference Programme
Wednesday 25 October
St Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University, Dublin 9
| 14:00 - 17:30 | Panel and Networking Event: Research, Policy and Practice - Knowledge Partnerships for Development We welcome speakers from Irish Aid, Dóchas, NGOs, Science Foundation Ireland, Irish Research Council, Irish Universities Association Marie Sklodowska-Curie Office and Campus Engage to this pre-conference panel discussion and networking event. |
17:00 - 17:45 | Conference Opens - Arrival and Registration |
| 17:45 - 18:00 | Conference Opening
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18:00 - 18:45 | Opening Panel Discussion on Territories of Technology, Innovation and Development
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18:45 - 19:15 | Audience Responses |
| 19:15 - 20:00 | Reception and Canapés |
| 20:00 | Close |
Thursday 26 October
St Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University, Dublin 9
| 08:45 – 09:30 | Registration & Refreshements |
09:30 - 11:00 | Morning Keynote |
09:30 – 09:50 | Welcome by: Dr. Pieternella Pieterese, Chair, DSA Ireland |
| 09:50 – 10:20 | Keynote Address - 'Unfair ID: Digital Identity from Injustice to Resistance' Dr Silvia Masiero, Associate Professor of Information Systems, University of Oslo |
10:20 – 10:45 | Facilitated Discussion |
| 10:45 - 11:00 | Refreshments & Networking |
11:00 - 12:30 | Morning Study Group Parallel Sessions |
11:00 - 12:30 | Study Group Parallel Sessions Break out sessions led by Study Groups with accepted contributors in response to Call for Abstracts. |
12:30 - 13:15 | DSAI Annual General Meeting |
| 13:00 - 14:00 | LUNCH |
14:00 -15:15 | Afternoon Keynote |
14:00 - 14:30 | Keynote Address - 'Disinformation State: Russia's Weaponization of Narratives in Africa' Dr Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) |
| 14:30 - 15:00 | Facilitated Discussion |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | Refreshments & Networking |
15:15 - 16:45 | Afternoon Study Group Parallel Sessions |
| 15:15 - 16:45 | Study Group Parallel Sessions Break out sessions led by Study Groups with accepted contributors in response to Call for Abstracts. |
16:45 - 17:30 | Closing Plenary & Open to Floor |
| 17:30 | Conference Close |
Keynote Speakers
Dr Silvia Masiero is an Associate Professor of Information Systems at the University of Oslo. She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed works in the domain of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and has a long-standing interest in the role of digital platforms in socio-economic development processes. She has conducted extensive work on the computerisation of India's main food security programme, the Public Distribution System (PDS), and on the adoption of ICTs in core aspects of the Indian public sphere including elections, rural employment guarantees and programmes of social protection. She is Secretary and Chair Elect of the IFIP Working Group 9.4 on the Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development, a Senior Editor at the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, and an Associate Editor at Information Technology for Development.
Her keynote is titled "Unfair ID: Digital Identity from Injustice to Resistance". In this talk, Silvia will explore different ways in which digital identity systems, aimed at converting human identities into digital data, result into harmful outcomes for their users. After having discussed the notion of "fairness" in relation to digital identity, the talk will explore legal, informational and design-related forms of injustice induced by digital ID, drawing on instantiations from countries and settings characterised by socio-economic vulnerability. Having done so, we will move into forms of resistance to digital ID-induced injustice, reviewing the work of civil society and solidarity-making organisations working with people affected by the harmful outcomes in point. In this way, the talk will propose a journey "from injustice to resistance" in the digital identity space.
Dr. Samuel Ramani is an associate fellow at RUSI (Royal United Services Institute). He is a geo-political commentator, who regularly contributes to media publications such as Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, and Al-Monitor, as well as think-tanks, such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Middle East Institute. He regularly appears on broadcast media outlets, such as Al Jazeera English, the BBC World Service, France 24, and CNN International. Since receiving his DPhil in International Relations at Oxford in 2021, Samuel has written two books: "Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender" and "Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution" which were published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2023.
His keynote is titled "Disinformation State: Russia's Weaponization of Narratives in Africa". In this talk, Samuel will explore the pernicious impact of Russia's disinformation in Africa and use of big tech to spread these narratives.