On July 3, 2025, the ECDF Gender and Diversity Network invites you to a discussion on political influence on (digital) research and academic freedom. Interested speakers can apply until May 15, 2025.

Digital infrastructures used to collect, process, and publish scientific and official data are increasingly subject to political influence. In authoritarian government practices, access to data is being controlled, altered, or deleted – with the goal of shaping societal narratives and erasing critical knowledge. Control over data thus becomes a central instrument of power, determining 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 edited on federal agency websites – including public 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 also 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 deletion practices.

Call for Talks

The Gender and Diversity Network (GDN) of the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) invites submissions of English- or German-language talks for an interdisciplinary event on July 3, 2025, focusing on political influences on (digital) research and academic freedom. The goal is to bring together diverse perspectives to analyze current developments, highlight strategies of resilience, and explore new alliances. We welcome contributions from researchers at all career stages as well as activists working on political power dynamics affecting data, infrastructures, and science. Contributions that incorporate gender and diversity perspectives on digital research are especially encouraged.

Suggested Topics (non-exhaustive):

Political Influence on Academic Freedom

• What are the consequences of political interference in (digital) research?
• What forms of self-censorship or political steering can arise within academic institutions?
• What strategies exist to protect (digital) research from political interventions?

Resilient Data Infrastructures & Data Sovereignty

• How are data infrastructures politically embedded?
• What mechanisms ensure long-term access to (critical) data?
• How can researchers and institutions position themselves in increasingly precarious political contexts?

Data as an Instrument of Power: “What gets counted, counts” vs. “Weaponized Statistics”

• How does political control influence what data are collected (or no longer collected)?
• What are the implications of targeted data restriction for gender and diversity research?
• What does it mean when statistics are deliberately used as political tools?

Submission & Contact

Please send your abstracts (max. 500 words, presentation duration approx. 20 minutes + Q&A) by May 15, 2025, to gdn@ecdf.tu-berlin.de. The event will take place on July 3, 2025 at the Einstein Center Digital Future, Wilhelmstr. 67, 10117 Berlin.
Two selected talks will receive an honorarium of 200 Euro (plus travel and accommodation expenses, if needed).

We look forward to your contributions!