@book{16, author = {Ruha Benjamin}, title = {Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code}, abstract = {

From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry\ hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White\ supremacy and deepen social inequity.

Benjamin argues that automation, far from being a sinister story of racist\ programmers scheming on the dark web, has the potential to hide, speed up,\ and deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when\ compared to the racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the {\textquotedblleft}New\ Jim Code,{\textquotedblright} she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encode inequity\ by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies; by ignoring but thereby replicating\ social divisions; or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the\ opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of\ technology, designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice in the architecture\ of everyday life.

This illuminating guide provides conceptual tools for decoding tech promises\ with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to\ question not only the technologies we are sold but also the ones we ourselves\ manufacture.

Visit the book{\textquoteright}s free Discussion Guide\ here.

}, year = {2019}, pages = {416}, publisher = {Polity}, isbn = {9781509526390}, url = {https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509526390}, }