Sumandro Chattapadhyay | Centre for Internet & Society (original) (raw)

Papers by Sumandro Chattapadhyay

History and Technology, 2016

This paper explores the concept of open data intermediaries using the theoretical framework of Bo... more This paper explores the concept of open data intermediaries using the theoretical framework of Bourdieu's social model, particularly his species of capital. Secondary data on intermediaries from Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries research was analysed according to a working definition of an open data intermediary presented in this paper, and with a focus on how intermediaries are able to link agents in an open data supply chain, including to grassroots communities. The study found that open data supply chains may comprise multiple intermediaries and that multiple forms of capital may be required to connect the supply and use of open data. The effectiveness of intermediaries can be attributed to their proximity to data suppliers or users, and proximity can be expressed as a function of the type of capital that an intermediary possesses. However, because no single intermediary necessarily has all the capital available to link effectively to all sources of power in a field, multiple intermediaries with complementary configurations of capital are more likely to connect between power nexuses. This study concludes that consideration needs to be given to the presence of multiple intermediaries in an open data ecosystem, each of whom may possess different forms of capital, to enable the use of open data.

The roles of intermediaries in open data is insufficiently explored; open data intermediaries are... more The roles of intermediaries in open data is insufficiently explored; open data intermediaries are often presented as single and simple linkages between open data supply and use. This synthesis research paper offers a more socially nuanced approach to open data intermediaries using the theoretical framework of Bourdieu’s social model, in particular, his concept of species of capital as informing social interaction. The study is based on the analysis of a sample of cases from the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries Project (ODDC)
project. Data on intermediaries were extracted from the ODDC reports according to a working definition of an open data intermediary presented in this paper, and with a focus on how intermediaries link actors in an open data supply chain. The study found that open data supply chains may comprise multiple intermediaries and that multiple forms of capital may be required to connect the supply and use of open data. Because no single intermediary necessarily has all the capital available to link effectively to all sources of power in a field, multiple intermediaries with complementary configurations of capital are more likely to connect between power nexuses. This study concludes that consideration needs to be given to the presence of multiple intermediaries in an open data ecosystem, each of whom may possess different forms of capital to enable the use and unlock the potential impact of open data.

The paper analyses the recently approved and implemented government data policy (National Data Sh... more The paper analyses the recently approved and implemented government data policy (National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy) in India, and identifies the possibility and need of expanding and integrating it within the larger national e-governance and information policy ecosystem. The study draws from an ongoing research project on the Indian government data policy and the roles played by data intermediary organisations. The paper argues that an expanded and integrated open government data agenda will address crucial shortcomings of the national e-governance initiatives in India, and strengthen democratic interactions between the state and citizens through electronic and other means.

The secret of data in the ‘smart cities’ discussion emanates from this ahistorical assumption of ... more The secret of data in the ‘smart cities’ discussion emanates from this ahistorical assumption of the always already availability of data about urban conditions. In discussing the secret of primitive accumulation, Karl Marx notes how the whole movement of surplus value from its (capitalist) production, to its accumulation as capital, to its investment as capital to make possible capitalist production takes the form of a ‘vicious circle’ – one that can only be resolved by identifying a historical moment prior to capitalist accumulation, which is the moment of primitive or original accumulation (Marx 1999: 500). While this paper does not attempt to pursue an urban media infrastructural archaeology to locate (or to locate the possibility of) such a moment, it describes the insights about the ‘smart cities’ discourses and practices that can be gained from foregrounding this secret…

Books by Sumandro Chattapadhyay

The digital turn might as well be marked as an Asian turn. From flash-mobs in Taiwan to feminist... more The digital turn might as well be marked as an Asian turn. From
flash-mobs in Taiwan to feminist mobilisations in India, from
hybrid media strategies of Syrian activists to cultural protests in
Thailand, we see the emergence of political acts that transform
the citizen from being a beneficiary of change to becoming an
agent of change. In co-shaping these changes, what the digital
shall be used for, and what its consequences will be, are both up
for speculation and negotiation.
Digital Activism in Asia marks a particular shift where these questions
are no longer being refracted through the ICT4D logic, or
the West’s attempts to save Asia from itself, but shaped by multiplicity,
unevenness, and urgencies of digital sites and users in
Asia.
This reader crowd-sources critical tools, concepts, analyses, and
annotations, self-identified by a network of change makers
in Asia as important in their own practices within their own
contexts.

History and Technology, 2016