Millions of individuals and communities around the world today use technology to explore, express, navigate and advocate for their gender, sexuality and rights. Phones, simple or smart. Desktops. Smart watches. Tablets.

In the digital age, our lives are no longer ​‘physical only’. The way we live now is defined, to some extent or another, by technology. The tapestry of our lives has shifted from the physical world only to the physical + digital, spaces that weave in and out of each other like tangled balls of wool.

As our lives seamlessly yin and yang in and out of the physical and the digital, so does our gender. Our sexuality. Our rights.

In many cities and regions, queer communities first form online… then move offline, when it’s safe enough to do so. Think #queerlivesmatter

Global protests and activism around gender-based harassment and violence erupt or are amplified in digital spaces. Think #metoo

And many aspects of digital technology are giving rise to new rights claims and demands, including the right to be forgotten. Think #digitalrights

It’s time for social movements to think more deeply about how technology intersects with sexuality, gender and rights. How can we shape the future instead of being shaped by it? That’s what Me, We And The Machine is all about.

What

Me, We And The Machine is a seven-day residential institute that dives deep into two big questions: • How does technology shape and influence sexuality, gender and rights? • How do sexuality, gender and rights inform and shape technology?

Following the style and methodology of CREA’s flagship institute on Sexuality, Gender and Rights, this institute explores the intersection of theory and practice in the context of social movements. The institute will explore the following core concepts, linking them to advocacy, including rights-based claims and strategies that advance the goals of movements working on gender and sexuality:

• Technology as site and space (public, private, hybrid) • Sexual expression as a key aspect of free expression • Body becoming data, data becoming body • Consent and privacy in the digital age • Tools of control, from censorship to surveillance • Online and offline harassment • Artificial intelligence, rights and social justice • Movements, activism and technology

When

Me, We And The Machine is designed as a seven-day Institute of theory and practice, that will take place from 9 – 15 December, excluding travel.

Where

Me, We And The Machine will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during 9 – 15 December 2018. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

How

Think. Relate. Play. Talk. See. Read. Shift. Me, We And The Machine is designed as a series of seven tracks — all of which explore these intersections through different pedagogies.

Who

The Institute Me, We And The Machine is hosted by CREA and Point of View.

CREA is a global feminist human rights organisation based in New Delhi, India. CREA works at the grassroots, national, regional and global levels to build feminist leadership, advance women’s human rights, and expand sexual and reproductive freedoms for all people.

Point of View is a feminist non-profit based in Mumbai, India. We build and amplify the voices of women and other marginalized genders and remove barriers to voice, speech and expression. Gender and sexuality are at the heart of our work, as are disability and technology.

Participants

Only 30 participants will be selected for the institute, based on their application forms and their ability to demonstrate how they would apply the lessons of the Institute. Individuals working on issues of sexuality, Gender Based Violence, LGBTI rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, disability rights, and on the intersection of gender, technology and rights are eligible to apply. Participants are required to stay for the entire duration of the course.

Participating faculty

Institute faculty will consist of scholars, researchers and practitioners who are recognised for their work at the intersections of technology, sexuality, gender and rights.