As part of my Open Access Week 2018 activities, I will be doing an express trip to Rome on Wednesday 24th October 2018 to participate in the following event:
Convegno di studi
Ricerca scientifica, monopoli della conoscenza e Digital Humanities. Prospettive critiche dall’Europa del Sud
La investigación científca, los monopolios del conocimiento y Humanidades Digitales. Perspectivas críticas desde el Sur de Europa
Università Roma Tre, 24-25 ottobre 2018
http://scienzepolitiche.uniroma3.it/blog/archives/21635
I also added the event to the Open Access Week 2018 events listing: http://www.openaccessweek.org/events/ricerca-scientifica-monopoli-della-conoscenza-e-digital
Twitter hashtag for the event: #DHPIIGS18
I am looking forward to being at Roma Tre again.
My abstract:
Oligopolios del conocimiento y acceso abierto: perspectivas desde el sur
Oligopolies of Knowledge and Open Access: Perspectives from the Global South
Dr Ernesto Priego
Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design
City, University of London, Reino Unido
[sp]
En esta presentación discutiré las razones por las que hablamos de “oligopolios del conocimiento”, detallando la concentración de actividad de comunicaciones académicas (en este caso publicaciones) a través de compañías editoriales con fines de lucro con base en el norte global, por autores con afiliación a universidades del norte global y en la lengua inglesa. Me referiré al trabajo que he estado haciendo en los últimos cinco años documentando y mapeando dicha concentración localizada y en su mayoría monolingüe (con énfasis en las humanidades digitales; Priego et al 2014; Priego y Fiormonte, 2016 y 2018) mediante metodologías de bibliometría alternativa (Alperin et al 2014) para a su vez llamar la atención a la correlación de los imbalances de esta concentración geopolítica (Graham 2011; Fiormonte 2017) con modos de diseminación cerrados de alto costo para instituciones (Lawson 2016). A su vez, discutiré la correspondiente y apropiación de mecanismos de acceso abierto por parte de las mismas compañías editoriales con fines de lucro, mediante estrategias de negocio como los cargos de procesos de publicación (APCs, por sus siglas en inglés), y los retos que esto implica particularmente para los investigadores en las áreas de ciencias sociales, artes y humanidades, y en específico para aquellos con afiliación en el sur global (Priego et al 2017). Finalmente, habiendo detallado lo que es un panorama complejo para las comunicaciones académicas, presentaré ejemplos de alternativas existentes y discutiré los crecientes retos y dilemas específicos a los diversos contextos del sur global.
[eng]
In this presentation I will discuss the reasons why we speak of “oligopolies of knowledge”, detailing the concentration of activity of academic communications (in this case, publications) via for profit publishing companies based in the global north, by authors with affiliation with universities in the global north and in the English language. I will refer to the work I have been doing in the last five years, documenting and mapping this localised and mostly monolingual concentration (with an emphasis on the digital humanities, Priego et al 2014, Priego and Fiormonte, 2016 and 2018) through alternative bibliometric methodologies (Alperin et al 2014), in order to draw attention to the correlation of the imbalances of this geopolitical concentration (Graham 2011, Fiormonte 2017) with closed modes of dissemination of high cost for institutions (Lawson 2016). In turn, I will discuss the corresponding and appropriation of open access mechanisms by the same for profit publishing companies, through business strategies such as Article Processing Charges (APCs) and the challenges that this implies particularly for researchers in the areas of social sciences, arts and humanities, and specifically for those with affiliations in the global south (Priego et al 2017; Eve and Priego 2018). Finally, having detailed what a complex picture for academic communications is, I will present examples of existing alternatives and discuss the growing challenges and dilemmas specific to the various contexts of the global South.
Referencias/References
Alperin, JP., Babini, D., Fischman, G. (eds.) 2014. Open access indicators and scholarly communications in Latin America (Buenos Aires: CLACSO, First edtion). Available in full text on the Web Virtual Library of CLACSO: http://www.biblioteca.clacso.edu.ar
Fiormonte, D. 2017. Digital Humanities and the Geopolitics of Knowledge. Digital Studies/Le champ num ́erique, 7(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.16995/dscn.274
Fiormonte, E. & Priego, E., 2016. Knowledge Monopolies and Global Academic Publishing. The Winnower. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15200/winn.147220.00404
Graham, et al, M., 2011. Visualizing the uneven geographies of knowledge production and circulation. Global Higher Education, 14.9. Available at: https://globalhighered.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/visualizing-the-uneven-geographies-of-knowledge-production-and-circulation/
Priego, E. and Fiormonte, D. 2018. Empire and Scholarly Communications. Multinational Monopolies of Knowledge and the Global South. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.6634484.v8
Priego, E.; Havemann, L.; Atenas, J. 2014 Source Dataset for Online Attention to Digital Humanities Publications (#DH2014 poster). Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1094359
Priego, E. et al. 2014. Online Attention to Digital Humanities Publications (#DH2014 poster). Available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1094345.v1
Eve, M. and Priego, E. (2017). Who is Actually Harmed by Predatory Publishers?. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, 15(2), pp. 755-770. Available at: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/18007
Priego, E. et al. 2017. Scholarly Publishing, Freedom of Information and Academic Self-Determination: The UNAM-Elsevier Case. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5632657.v1
