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Ayona Datta

@ayonadatta.bsky.social

1K followers 300 following 45 posts

Prof of Human Geography, FAcSS, University College London, UK PI: ERC Adv Grant https://www.regionalfutures.org Researching #digitalisation #urbanisation #futures #globalsouth Editor: urbangeography.bsky.social Web: https://ayonadatta.com .. more

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Apr 1

Very honoured to be elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences @acadsocsciences.bsky.social
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ap...

Seven UCL academics elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences

Seven academics from across UCL have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of their excellence in fields including economics, education and gender inequality, with w...

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Anwesha Aditi @anweshaaditi.bsky.social · Sep 3

Grateful to present my work at Regional Futures conference at UCL @uclgeography.bsky.social 🌍✨
So much to learn, share & take back, from thought-provoking panels to inspiring conversations in between.
Huge thanks to @ayonadatta.bsky.social & the team for making this space so rich & welcoming!

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

UCL Press @uclpress.bsky.social · Aug 7

Congratulations to @ayonadatta.bsky.social and Fenna Imara Hoefsloot! Their #OpenAccess book Informational Peripheries published earlier this week. Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4 #UrbanTheory #Digitalisation #DataPolitics

Informational Peripheries

Urbanisation and urban life in a digital age needs to be examined through a lens of information – encompassing both its politics and its geographies. The periphery in an information age is located sim...

bit.ly

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Fenna Imara Hoefsloot @fennaimara.bsky.social · Aug 5

Informational Peripheries is out now with @uclpress.bsky.social! It brings together critical perspectives on how information flows (or doesn’t) across the edges of systems: archives, infrastructures, digital divides, and more.

Edited with @ayonadatta.bsky.social 🙌

uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...

Informational Peripheries

uclpress.co.uk

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Reposted by Lieven Ameel

Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Aug 5

Our 'Informational Peripheries' book is now published and out for the world to read in paperback and online free #openaccess.
Edited with @fennaimara.bsky.social
It has been a pleasure working with @uclpress.bsky.social Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4
@uclgeography.bsky.social

Informational Peripheries

bit.ly

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Reposted by Janice Morphet, Ayona Datta

Reposted by Ayona Datta

UCL Department of Geography @uclgeography.bsky.social · Jul 31

🌍 Fieldwork in the Global South: @ayonadatta.bsky.social maps how digital tech reshapes urban peripheries, from Nairobi to Mumbai.

🛰️ Read the full story: tinyurl.com/ucl-digimap

#UCLGeography #Fieldwork #UrbanGeography #DigitalUrbanisation @ucl.ac.uk @erc.europa.eu

A deindustrialising powerloom town which is now a burgeoning global logistics centre in the peripheries of Mumbai. Photo: Ayona Datta

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Feb 19

Leftwing activists less likely to work with political rivals than other UK groups, study finds

Exclusive: Lack of understanding by ‘progressive activists’ of other voting blocs has led to rise of far right, authors argue * UK politics live – latest updates Leftwing activists in Britain are less likely to work with their political opponents…

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Fenna Imara Hoefsloot @fennaimara.bsky.social · Feb 19

🙌 Our research led by Mariana Reyes and in collaboration with Neha Gupta, Dennis Muthama, and Jesus Flores is out in @ijurresearch.bsky.social! We hope it serves others working in international and intercultural research projects. doi.org/10.1111/1468...

NAVIGATING STATE SPACES: Methodological Insights and Reflections from Research in India, Mexico and Kenya

This collaborative essay provides a methodological reflection and a list of recommendations on the opportunities, uncertainties and limitations faced when researching state spaces in India, Mexico an...

doi.org

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Jan 15

Thrilled to announce our triple session on 'Urban AI Spectrums' in the @geographers.bsky.social #AAG2025 meeting in Detroit. Co-organised with Federico Cugurullo and Caprotti.

Join us on 26 March 2025, Room 330A, Level 3, Huntington Place.

www.regionalfutures.org/all-outputs/...

'Urban AI Spectrums' triple session at the AAG 2025, Detroit — Regional Futures

Urban AI spectrums Sponsored by the Cyberinfrastructure Specialty Group (CISG) and the Digital Geographies Specialty Group (DGSG) in AAG Organisers: Federico Cugurullo (Trinity College Dubli...

www.regionalfutures.org

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Dialogues on Digital Society @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social · Apr 17

These are followed by the first article by @ayonadatta.bsky.social and @fennaimara.bsky.social advocating for consideration of time and timing for understanding statecraft in Kenya's Silicon Savannah journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... 3/7

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Digital Geographies Research Group @dgrgrgs.bsky.social · Jun 19

Our first keynote of #DGRGSymposium2025 was given by the amazing @ayonadatta.bsky.social of UCL:
Fantasies of territorial calculability: Automated Ignorance (AI) in digitalising land in the global south

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jun 6

'Last month...something else happened in academia: Yale-NUS College, a liberal arts college founded by the National University of Singapore and Yale University in 2012, quietly ceased to exist. And with it, thousands of books and DVDs disappeared.'

Yale-NUS’ book dumping was a tiny crime against culture

A library is not a fast-fashion store. You don’t discard last season’s items because nobody wanted them, says Andrew Hui

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Michèle Champagne @michhham.bsky.social · Jun 5

Why the Corderie felt dated: it was rife with the same kind of mandatory solutionism that has gotten us nowhere for decades.

“Ratti’s sprawling [Venice] biennale is awash in the optimism of design solutions. Even the path to population collapse is paved in innovation.”

— @novakovicto.bsky.social

Carlo Ratti’s Abundance Agenda

At the Venice Corderie, a staggering quantity of installations fosters a messy synthesis of (human and artificial) intelligence and folly.

www.azuremagazine.com

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · May 16

Congratulations @profgillian.bsky.social
Cannot think of anyone more deserving of the Victoria medal than yourself.

Reposted by Kylie Jarrett, Ayona Datta

Dialogues on Digital Society @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social · May 15

Submission to our special issue on Authoritarianism in the Digital Age close tomorrow. Get your proposal in! More details here: journals.sagepub.com/page/dds/cal...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

UCL Department of Geography @uclgeography.bsky.social · May 12

🖋️ Are you a @ucl.ac.uk Geography PhD Student or Early Career Researcher?

Join the Linescapes: The Role of Sketches and Illustrations in Geographical Research workshop on 29 May: bit.ly/Linescapes

#UCLGeography #GeographyPhD #EarlyCareerResearcher #ResearchWorkshop #SketchingInGeography #Linescapes

"Linescapes: The Role of Sketches and Illustrations in Geographical Research"

We invite UCL PhD Students and Early Career Researchers -both physical and human geography—to sign up for our interactive workshop: “ Linescapes: The Role of Sketches and Illustration in Geographical ...

bit.ly

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · May 1

I woke up to this news and it made me so happy Ans. 👏🏼

Reposted by Ayona Datta

Fenna Imara Hoefsloot @fennaimara.bsky.social · Apr 28

Cover reveal! ✨

Our new book, 'Informational Peripheries: Rethinking the Urban in a Digital Age,' will be available this August! Get a first look here: uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...

There will also be a digital open access version 🙌
@uclpress.bsky.social @ayonadatta.bsky.social

Informational Peripheries

uclpress.co.uk

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Apr 21

Look forward to delivering a keynote on 'Fantasies of Artificial everything: Automated Ignorance (AI) in the making of Digitalising States" in workshop organised by Singapore Management University (SMU) Urban Institute.

drive.google.com/file/d/1Q6-N...

Programme Outline Technocratic Governance Workshop.pdf

drive.google.com

Reposted by Ayona Datta

Surveillance in the Majority World Network @surveillancemw.bsky.social · Apr 21

> The debates on ‘Silicon Savannah’:
“The state as auteur: Timing digitisation in Africa’s Silicon Savannah” by @ayonadatta.bsky.social & @fennaimara.bsky.social
- De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Guide
Edited by Mareile Kaufmann & @heidimorklomell.bsky.social

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Apr 18

Very honoured to co-author first article 'State as Auteur' in @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social
Thanks @robkitchin.bsky.social for invitation & commentators @jpaddie.bsky.social @xazaaradjame.bsky.social @princeguma.bsky.social @andretwp.bsky.social Jack Odeo, Nancy Odendaal.
with @fennaimara.bsky.social

Dialogues on Digital Society @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social · Apr 17

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Fenna Imara Hoefsloot @fennaimara.bsky.social · Apr 17

Excited that our research article with commentaries and response is out now in the inaugural issue of @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social! Honoured to be amongst so many people I look up to in the launch of this great new journal. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

@ayonadatta.bsky.social

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

Dialogues on Digital Society @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social · Apr 17

Commentaries on this article engage with, expand, and critique the article's position, further complicating the novel agenda it brings to research into digital societies. This is complemented by a response from Datta and Hoefsloot continuing this dialogue.... 4/7

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Reposted by Sebastian Sevignani, Kylie Jarrett, Ayona Datta

Dialogues on Digital Society @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social · Apr 17

The first edition of Dialogues on Digital Society is out at last. It features an editorial by the Editorial team, @kylzjarrett.bsky.social, @robkitchin.bsky.social, @pinkydigital.bsky.social, Jing Hiah, and @steelecat717.bsky.social .... 1/7 #DDS @journals.sagepub.com
journals.sagepub.com/home/DDS

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Ayona Datta

UCL Sociology Network @uclsociology.bsky.social · Apr 10

UCL Sociology Network PhD Inaugural Student Conference 2025 (3 June). This 1 day conference will be an exciting opportunity for PhDs to engage with doctoral research from 24 UK universities across a range of disciplines, all with a focus on sociological research / methodology tinyurl.com/5hbpyx9e

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Apr 10

The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-staggeri... #Anthropology #Computing #Environment via @mitpress.bsky.social

The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud

Anthropologist Steven Gonzalez Monserrate draws on five years of research and ethnographic fieldwork in server farms to illustrate some of the diverse environmental impacts of data storage.

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

Reposted by Jon Pierre, Dominique Berteaux, Susan J. Smith , and 6 more Jon Pierre, Dominique Berteaux, Susan J. Smith, Jānis Stirna, Matthijs Rooduijn, Jan Marcus, Ayona Datta, Sirpa Wrede, Orhan Pamuk

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Apr 9

'Bluesky has overtaken its flailing rival X in hosting posts related to new academic research, indicating the platform is fast becoming the go-to place for scholars to share their work.'

X’s dominance ‘over’ as Bluesky becomes new hub for research

Data indicates more scholars turning to alternative social media site to post about their work after Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Ayona Datta @ayonadatta.bsky.social · Apr 9

We are hiring a Project Administrative Officer in the @erc.europa.eu funded REGFUT project. Check out the advert below 👇 to apply.
More details on the project here: www.regionalfutures.org

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