No! Re-imagining Data Practices Through the Lens of Critical Refusal

Abstract

Critical refusal is an active process; an informed practice of investigating power differences in order to generate more just and equitable alternatives to the status quo. In this paper, we examine what it means to utilize critical refusal as a tool for investigating unequal power dynamics that are produced and reified by data practices. We illustrate the generative capacity of critical refusal by drawing on declarations from The Feminist Data Manifest-No to examine data practices across three real-world cases. By pairing a conceptual exploration of critical refusal with real-world examples, we make a theoretical contribution that is grounded in concrete approaches for generating alternative data practices in ways that account for interlocking struggles across contexts and communities.