We are pleased to announce that, through the auspices of the Commission for History and Philosophy of Computing (HAPOC), we will be convening the Working Group on Data Sharing starting this October. The new HAPOC working group will meet online to discuss (your!) work-in-progress, classic texts and recently published works. We invite researchers and curious minds from all backgrounds to join us in order to explore the historical and evolving concepts of data, sharing, and (historically rooted, socially contested, politically supported) aspects of data sharing.
We invite you to offer your draft article, dissertation chapter or book chapter for discussion. Our first meeting takes place on Thursday 17 October at 4pm GMT. Please send an email to Vassilis.Galanos@stir.ac.uk to get access links, details and ask questions. The first meeting is to discuss a classic text and decide together on the dates of upcoming events.
We wish to create an inclusive hub for interdisciplinary collaboration among early career researchers to foster a deeper understanding of the significant role that data sharing plays within and beyond computerised contexts. Throughout our first year, we hope to delve into various perspectives on the concept of data, aiming for a comprehensive understanding that spans digital and pre-digital eras.
Our events are convened roughly every two months for 1-1.5h. They provide a platform for thoughtful dialogue among historians, philosophers, technologists, STS and media scholars. Embodying a spirit of informality and cheerfulness, our sessions are designed to be engaging and insightful, offering regular participants networking opportunities. We provide multiple ways to get involved – whether by circulating your full paper confidentially prior to the event or present to get and offer real-time feedback. In addition, we are planning occasional guest invited talks and interactions with other colleagues exploring data-related themes. Although we do not offer scholarships or funding, your engagement – as part of your academic commitments or sparked by pure curiosity – will open doors to valuable cross-national and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Please get in touch! Your participation is key to enriching our collective understanding of data sharing, its enabling technologies, and its impacts. If you know of people who might be interested to participate and get involved in this new HAPOC working group, please do circulate this announcement.
Our initiators, Barbara Hof (Lausanne), Vassilis Galanos (Stirling), Apolline Taillandier (Cambridge), Xiao Yang (Edinburgh), and George Zoukas (Sheffield), are excited to extend this invitation to you!