August 2022

The Art of Defining Value

Hi there,

In the past year in particular I’ve been thinking a lot about value. What do I personally value (and therefore want to cultivate more of)? What do we as a society in Denmark value? And what do we as humanity value? 

Who decides what something/someone is worth, and what are the mechanisms behind the structures that ultimately define what is valued.

This month, Danish feminist activist Emma Holten has been the guest editor of Eurowoman, and the issue addresses topics such as feminist economy (Emma Holten), care work (Anna Kathrine Olesen), slow fashion (Sadaf Hayat), and Indigenous activism (Aka Hansen). In a broader sense these articles ask exactly these kinds of questions - and they challenge the creators (and upholders) of the system. Our realities today rest on the stories that we’ve been told to believe about what is considered “work”, who is considered “worthy” - and why. 

I believe it is also a question worth pondering in the world of academia. What is considered of value in the educational institutions we are a part of? Who is deemed worthy of ascending the ranks? What notions of value are we reproducing? And what is our role within the system we (perhaps) claim to challenge?

These are questions and reflections I hope to build on through ETHOS - but for now, let's dive into what has happened in the lab since the last newsletter. 

- Henriette 

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What’s new?  

ETHOS summer party
On June 17th the ETHOS community (past and present) came together under the trees near ITU to share ice cream, beers, and stories. Together we prepared for the long summer nights to come, and it was wonderful seeing all the joyful faces, new and old. For me personally it was just wonderful to meet more of the people that make up the legacy of ETHOS. I hope it won’t be the last time. 

Alpha-testing the SEM (Sustainability and Expertise Mapper) database
On June 21st, the ETHOS Lab hosted an alpha-testing workshop for the ongoing research project, “SSH & Sustainable Business: Building a database for SSH impact on sustainability in private sector companies” which is being conducted by lab member Michael Hockenhull. The project, briefly put, is about building a publicly accessible research infrastructure gathering corporate sustainability reports, in order to encourage research on them using both qualitative and digital methods. The infrastructure - tentatively titled Sustainability and Expertise Mapper - was demonstrated to a group of invited scholars from ETHOS Lab as well as the TiP Group with an interest in sustainability. What ensued was a lively debate about the uncertainty of data and reporting practices, the valences of digital tools and research infrastructures and a lot of encouragement. Michael would like to thank those who attended, and looks forward to hosting a beta-test in the near future!

Visiting research fellowship at Curtain University in Perth, Australia
Over the summer break, lab co-director Jessamy Perriam took part in a visiting research fellowship at the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT) at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. She gave a presentation about the lab and how we do research-based teaching at ITU which has inspired attendees to think about how they might establish their own student-facing labs locally. She is also collaborating on a research project with CCAT director Prof. Katie Ellis to examine how the Australian government discusses gaining citizens' trust during times of digital transformation. A benefit of visiting Curtin University was becoming re-enchanted with the local flora. 

Soft landing 
On August 19th we got together for our first attempt at a soft landing event. The idea for this event was prompted by the reflections we had before the summer. In the reflection post, one of the lab members wrote:

“Something we reflected upon together yesterday was that the anticipation of summer break is not very restful for some of us. I feel quite the same. (...) It would be so nice to know that some of what we are doing in ETHOS in the fall would be a landing place to take stock and not be a lot of calendar pressure, but rather a respite, a safe distance from the chaos to think about how to invite some of that chaos in since it tells us about the bigger collective picture.”

We took this to heart - and spent our Friday morning together, away from ITU. Talking about our summers, breaking bread, and sketching drawings that will soon decorate our otherwise plain lab coat. It was indeed a soft landing - a place from which we could recharge and re-gather. 

What's next?

CRAI-CIS visit 
Today, August 31st, we have had a visit from four researchers from the CRAI-CIS (CRitical AI and Crisis Interrogatives) research group from Aalto University in Finland. Nitin Sawhney, Kaisla Kajava, Karolina Drobotowicz, and Minttu Tikka will visit ETHOS Lab for our extended community gathering. The group also be hosted the weekly salon in the TiP group, as well as met up with the recently established REFLACT group. Much more on this visit in next month's newsletter.

New round of Junior Researchers coming up
With the start of semester also comes the Junior Researcher recruitment season. We are now accepting applications for our Junior Researcher cohort of 2022-23! The application deadline is September 20th, 23:59. For more information, visit ethos.itu.dk. 
For questions regarding the programme or the application, contact ETHOS Lab Manager: Henriette Friis, hefh@itu.dk

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Job opportunity!

ETHOS job opportunity - Lab TA

ETHOS job opportunity - Lab TA

WE'RE HIRING ETHOS Lab is now looking to hire a TA for the lab. It is a 1-year contract, approx. 8 hours/week. This position is a unique opportunity to join a research and teaching lab community as an assistant to teaching and research-based learning. The TA assists a range of courses supported by the lab including Navigating Complexity. The …

Read more.

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Updates from the blog

Finding direction through vulnerability. Social media regulation and governance to value generation in Blockchain

Finding direction through vulnerability. Social media regulation and governance to value generation in Blockchain

By David David Søbæk Olsen Introduction Hi everyone! As my time as a JR comes to a close it is time to round up some of my experiences being in ETHOS Lab and also disclose what my project turned out to be about. I will initially provide a brief description of the final project, its subject matter, the questions it …

Read more.

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Uncovering the coincidental. Preliminary assumptions about tech policies in Danish public schools

Uncovering the coincidental. Preliminary assumptions about tech policies in Danish public schools

By Hanna Karin Wideman Grue This blogpost was partly written at my mother’s cottage, Nybacka, in Värmland, Sweden, where I have spent most of my summers since she bought Nybacka in 1978, when I was five years old. Here, I try to enjoy an everyday in the ‘analogue now’ (except for when I have to do work, like this blogpost…). …

Read more.

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Unicorn in Tallinn

Exploring the e-Estonian state – From virtual unicorns to questions of democracy

By Isabelle Engelke When I visited Estonia on a spontaneous backpacking trip in December 2019, my knowledge about the country and its people was rather limited. Limited in that I knew, Estonia was a rather small country with a population of about 1,3 Mio. people, I knew roughly about its history as being under Soviet rule gaining independence in the …

Read more.

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 Wishing you all a beautiful rest of your day!

Keep up to date with the Lab by subscribing to the newsletter and follow us on twitterfacebook or Instagram.

 

ETHOS Lab

www.ethos.itu.dk 

Co-heads of Lab: Marisa Cohn & Jessamy Perriam
Lab Manager: Henriette Friis

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ETHOS Lab Open Hours 

The Lab has regular opening hours throughout the semester on Thursdays from 10 to 14, allowing for a lunch break around noon.

The opening hours are co-working time for the Lab staff, as well as an opportunity for impromptu meetings and informal encounters for the community of faculty and students. This is an opening for bouncing off ideas, getting feedback, and work in the LabEveryone is welcome, just pop by!

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