The Data Studies group gathers every Monday 9AM together with IDSAI's data governance, for discussions as well as occasional readings (detailed below). Anybody interested in these topics is cordially invited to come along, if you happen to be on campus! Traditionally we meet at La Touche on campus.
For Fall 2019, most weeks a different member of the group leads discussion on their current area of work, so that the whole group keeps informed on all aspects of the Exeter data studies research.
Note that some of the readings are author’s manuscripts that are kindly shared with the reading group; please get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for access to manuscripts or any other inquiry.
2019
- 2 December
- Arthur Vandervoort discussion.
- 25 November
- Ernesto Schwarz-Marin discussion.
- 18 November
- Sabina Leonelli discussion.
- 11 November
- Hugh Williamson discussion.
- 4 November
- Niccolò Tempini discussion.
- 28 October
- James Anthony-Edwards discussion.
- 14 October
- Kirsten Walsh discussion.
- 7 October
- Lorien Jasny draft paper: What should be some standards for reporting back to individuals about data collected on them?
- 30 September
- Adrian Currie draft presentation: Technology, Zombie-Data and the Open-Endedness of Historical Science.
- 23 September
- Decide reading schedule for the year, plus visitor: Prof. Anne Beaulieu.
- 10 June
- Reading: Etienne S. Benson (2017). A Centrifuge of Calculation: Managing Data and Enthusiasm in Early Twentieth-Century Bird Banding. Osiris, 32(1): 286–306.
- 3 June
- Cancelled!Reading: Mirjam Brusius (2017). The Field in the Museum: Puzzling Out Babylon in Berlin. Osiris,32(1): 264–285.
- 20 May
- Reading: W. Patrick McCray (2017). The Biggest Data of All: Making and Sharing a Digital Universe. Osiris, 32(1): 243–263.
- 13 May
- Visit by Robert Challen and Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova (Prof. of Maths), to discuss their paper on safety of health AI applications:
Robert Challen Et al (2018). Artificial intelligence, bias, and clinical safety. BMJ Quality & Safety, 28(3): 231–237. - 6 May
- Reading1: David Sepkoski (2017). The Database before the Computer? Osiris, 32(1): 175–201.
- Reading2: Hallam Stevens (2017). A Feeling for the Algorithm: Working Knowledge and Big Data in Biology. Osiris, 32(1): 51–174.
- 25 March
- Reading: Christine von Oertzen (2017). Machineries of Data Power: Manual versus Mechanical Census Compilation in Nineteenth-Century Europe. Osiris, 32(1): 129–150.
- 18 March
- No DataCrunch.
- 11 March
- Reading: Staffan Müller-Wille (2017). Names and Numbers: “Data” in Classical Natural History, 1758–1859. Osiris, 32(1): 109–128.
- 4 March
- Reading: Dan Bouk (2017). The History and Political Economy of Personal Data over the Last Two Centuries in Three Acts. Osiris, 32(1): 85–106.
- 25 February
- Reading: Markus Friedrich (2017). Genealogy as Archive-Driven Research Enterprise in Early Modern Europe. Osiris, 32(1): 65–84.
- 11 February
- Reading: Joanna Radin (2017). "Digital Natives": How Meidical and Indigenous Histories Matter for Big Data. Osiris, 32(1): 43–63.
- 4 February
- Reading: Rebecca Lemov (2017). Anthropology's Most Documented Man, Ca. 1947: A Prefiguration of Big Data from the Big Social Science Era. Osiris, 32(1): 21–42.
2018
- 10 December
- TBA.
- 3 December
- TBA.
- 26 November
- TBA.
- 19 November
- Reading: Sabina‘s introduction to the Data Journeys book.
- 12 November
- TBA.
- 5 November
- TBA (PSA/HSS in Seattle — Sabina absent).
- 29 October
- Reading: Adrian’ Manifesto paper.
- 22 October
- Discussion on data ‘expertise’ and data provenance (relation between scientific and other sources).
- 15 October
- Discussion on justice/fairness.
- 8 October
- Discussion on methods.
- 1 October
- Breakfast without reading.
2017
- 7 December
- Breakfast without reading.
- 30 November
- Breakfast without reading.
- 23 November
- Breakfast without reading.
- 16 November
- Discussion of Data Journeys book chapter drafts.
- 9 November
- Breakfast without reading.
- 26 October
- Breakfast without reading.
- 19 October
- Sabina Leonelli and Niccolò Tempini, draft Where Health and Environment Meet: Geolocation as Invariance Strategy for Integrating Diverse Data Sources.
- 12 October
- Breakfast without reading.
- 5 October
- Breakfast without reading.
- 28 September
- Breakfast without reading.
- 21 September
- Breakfast without reading.
- 22 June
- Sandra Mitchell. Biological Complexity and Integrative Pluralism. Chapters TBA.
- 1 June
- Niccolò Tempini and David Teira’s (joint) early chapter draft for data journeys book.
- Niccolò Tempini’s (other) early chapter draft for data journeys book.
- 25 May
- Breakfast without reading.
- 11 May
- Brian Rappert’s early chapter draft for data journeys book.
- Sabina Leonelli’s early chapter draft for data journeys book.
- 4 May
- Xan Chacko (2017). Rendering Life Bankable (dissertation chapter; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a draft PDF).
- 20 April
- Robert Chapman and Alison Wylie. Evidential Reasoning in Archaeology. Chapters: Introduction, Chapter 3, and Conclusion.
- 30 March
- Adrian Currie Method Pluralism, Method Mismatch, and Method Bias.
- 23 March
- Staffan Müller-Wille’s early chapter draft for data journeys book.
- 16 March
- Broadbent, Alex. Philosophy of Epidemiology. Chapters 2 & 10.
- 23 February
- Breakfast without reading, exceptionally starting at 10am.
- 9 February
- Breakfast without reading.
2016
- 15 December
- Breakfast without reading.
- 24 November
- Solomon, M. (2015). (Chapter 1) Introduction: Beyond the Art and Science of Medicine & (Chapter 7) What is Translational Medicine? In: Solomon, M., Making Medical Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- 10 November
- Ribes, D. & Polk, J.B. (2015). Organizing for Ontological Change: The Kernel of an AIDS Research Infrastructure. Social Studies of Science, 45(2): 214–241. doi: 10.1177/0306312714558136.
Ribes, D. & Polk, J.B. (2014). Flexibility Relative to What? Change to Research Infrastructure. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 15(5): 287–305. - 21 October [Friday!]
- Morgan, M. S. (2014). Resituating Knowledge: Generic Strategies and Case Studies. Philosophy of Science, 81(5): 1012–1024.
- 13 October
- Breakfast without reading.
- 6 October
- Eschenfelder, K.R. & Shankar, K. (2016). Designing Sustainable Data Archives: Comparing Sustainability Frameworks. doi: 10.9776/16243.
Ostrom, E., Hess, C. (2011). A Framework for Analyzing the Knowledge Commons. In: Hess and Ostrom (Eds.) Understanding Knowledge as a Commons. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, pp. 41–82. (Get a fresher copy from Niccolò, link is 2005 draft.) - 7 July
- Chat with our guest (and temporary Egenis fellow) Richard Carter.
- 30 June
- Discussion without reading.
- 23 June
- Reading TBA.
- 9 June
- Discussion without reading.
- 2 June
- Reading TBA.
- 19 May
- Discussion without reading.
- 12 May
- Eschenfelder, K.R. & Shankar, K. (2016). Designing Sustainable Data Archives: Comparing Sustainability Frameworks. IConference 2016 Proceedings, pp 1–7.
- Shankar, K., Eschenfelder, K. R., & Downey, G. (forthcoming). Studying the History of Social Science Data Archives as Knowledge Infrastructure. Science and Technology Studies.
- 5 May
- Discussion without reading.
- 28 April
- Morgan, M.S. (2014). Resituating Knowledge: Generic Strategies and Case Studies. Philosophy of Science, 81(5), 1012–1024.
- 14 April
- Chat with our visitors Inge De Bal, Phyllis Illari, Julia Sánchez-Dorado and David Teira.
- 24 March
- Chat with our visitor Najko Jahn.
- 17 March
- Reiss, J. (2015). A Pragmatist Theory of Evidence. Philosophy of Science 82(3): 341-362.
- 10 March
- Discussion without reading.
- 3 March
- Rosenberg, D. (2013). Data Before the Fact. In: Gitelman, L. (Ed.), "Raw Data" is an oxymoron. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. Pp. 15-40.
- 25 February
- Gieryn, T.F. (1983). Boundary-Work and the Demarcation of Science from Non-Science: Strains and Interests in Professional Ideologies of Scientists. American Sociological Review 48: 781–795.
- 18 February
- Discussion without reading.
- 11 February
- Coopmans, C. (2014). Visual Analytics as Artful Revelation. In: Coopmans, C., Vertesi, J., Lynch, M, and Woolgar, S. (Eds), Representation in Scientific Practice Revisited. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
- Chat with our visitor Catelijne Coopmans.
- 4 February
- No meeting.
- 27 January
- Chat with our visitor Etienne Vignola-Gagné, focus on genomics-driven clinical cancer research.
- NB: this meeting will be on a Wednesday, and will be at 11.30am in Byrne House.
- 21 January
- Chat with our visitor Ashraful Islam Khan, focus on Open Software.
2015
- 11 June
- Reading TBA.
- 21 May
- Daston, L. (1991). Marvelous Facts and Miraculous Evidence in Early Modern Europe. Critical inquiry 18(1):93–123.
- 30 April
- Whewell, W. (1833). On the Use of Definitions. In: The Philological Museum 2, pg 263–272; plus as a background McOuat, G.R.(2009). The Origins of “Natural Kinds”: Keeping “Essentialism” at Bay in the Age of Reform’. Intellectual History Review 19(2):211–30.
- 2 April
- Elder-Vass, David (2005). Emergence and The Realist Account of Cause. Journal of Critical Realism 4(2):315-338.
- 5 March
- Introduction and first chapter of DeLanda, M. (2002). Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy. Bloomsbury Academic, London.
- 19 February
- Büscher, M., Perng, S. and Wood, L. (2014). How to Follow the Information? A Study of Informational Mobilities in Crises. Sociologica 1, 1–37. doi:10.2383/77044
- 29 January
- Fleck, L. Genesis and development of a scientific fact. Chapters 1 and 2.