[INES Announce] CASPR 2026 Labor & Technoscientific Worlds

[Sarah Appelhans]

Hi Everyone,

You may be interested in this panel discussion from CASTAC happening on
Fri, May 19 11:30-1:30 ET.

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/caspr-2026-labor-and-technoscientific-worlds-tickets-1987354000313?aff=oddtdtcreator

Here are the details:

Overview

For CASPR 2026, we will explore the topic of labor within technoscientific
worlds to honor the legacy of David Hakken.
Labor and Technoscientific Worlds: Historical Encounters and New Directions
in the Field

We invite you to join us for CASPR 2026, our annual gathering dedicated to
dissecting pressing issues in anthropology and STS. In past years, we have
addressed topics such as applied anthropology, digital ethnography, and
knowledge production in times of crisis. In Spring 2026, we turn our
attention to labor within technoscientific worlds to honor the legacy of
David Hakken.

As one of CASTAC’s founders, he pioneered research that helped lay the
foundations of STS and anthropology, with a special focus on the social
transformations of work in informatics and computing that shaped
anthropological and materialist approaches to this dynamic intersection. As
Hakken himself noted, “how society changes has more to do with how people
interpret computerization than with any separable technological impact.”
Following this legacy into the present, we will ask: How does this
foundational insight unfold in the era of artificial intelligence,
ubiquitous digital infrastructures, and rising contestation over science
and technology?

Bringing together scholars working in anthropology, STS, and labor studies,
CASPR 2026 revisits this intellectual legacy while exploring emerging
directions and challenges for the field. Join us for a roundtable
presentation and breakout Q&A discussions, as we invite our community to
reflect on labor in a changing world, with our panelists Kalpana
Shankar (University
College Dublin), David Hakken (University of Virginia), and Lilly Irani (UC
San Diego).

Some of the topics guiding our discussion include:

   - Ethnographic approaches to studying labor in technoscientific systems
   - Labor, digital infrastructures, and platforms.
   - Maintenance, repair, and invisible labor
   - Automation, AI, and the reorganization of work




Sarah E. Appelhans
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering Studies
Lafayette College
Office: AEC 316
(610)330-5442
appelhas at lafayette.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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