On July 3, 2025, the ECDF Gender and Diversity Network invites participants to engage in a discussion on political influences on (digital) research and academic freedom.
Digital infrastructures for the collection, processing, and publication of scientific and official data are increasingly subject to political interference. Authoritarian government practices reveal how access to data is controlled, altered, or deleted – with the aim of steering societal narratives and erasing critical knowledge. Control over data thus becomes a key instrument of power, shaping how public information can be accessed, interpreted, and reused. This is currently evident in the United States, where content related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been systematically removed or revised on federal agency websites – including health information about LGBTQ+ communities and intersectional research findings. Datasets and tools that highlight structural inequalities – such as the EPA’s environmental justice tool EJScreen – have been deactivated. At the same time, historical narratives are being rewritten, for example, by erasing queer perspectives from accounts of the Stonewall Riots. In response, civil society and academic initiatives are securing endangered data and making them independently accessible – a form of digital resilience against authoritarian erasure practices.
As part of the conference, the Gender and Diversity Network (GDN) of the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) invites participants to explore political influences on (digital) research and academic freedom. The aim is to bring together diverse perspectives to analyze current developments, highlight strategies of resilience, and envision new alliances.
Registration //here
Program:
16:00 – Welcome and introduction by Prof. Dr. Helena Mihaljević (HTW/ECDF) and Laura Rothfritz (HU Berlin/ECDF)
16:15 – Presentations and discussion:
"Safeguarding Research & Culture. Resilient Infrastructure in a Time of Hostility against Arts and Sciences" – Henrik Schönemann (Safeguarding Research & Culture)
"Feminist and Queer Data Science: A Paradigm to Strengthen Democracy" – Juan Vivanco (Citizens For Europe gUG)
"Towards Narrative Resilience: Countering Right-Wing Digital Dominance through a Narrative Lab Approach" – Sevim Burulday (FU Berlin/ DAAD)
17:50 – Get together/Networking
Venue:
Einstein Center Digital Future
Conference room, 1st floor
Wilhelmstr. 67
10117 Berlin
We offer childcare for this event from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please note that your childcare requirements must be registered by 23 June 2025 (via registration link) at the latest.