ICT Oriented Toward Nyaya: Community Computing in India’s Slums

INTRODUCTIONI do not think I will ever forget the frustration that a 10-year old child expressed when I asked her about computer technology at her government-run, public school in Bangalore, India. I inquired, "How often do you use computers at the school you attend?" The child responded, "Sir, never, sir. My teacher does not allow us to use the computer, Sir. She thinks we will break it. Sir, I am not allowed to touch the computer at my school, but I come here and am so proud to use it. I will continue to use the computer to help make my community better." The place that the student was referring to is called the Ramji Center. It is an example of a community computing center in one of Bangalore's largest slums.Community computing is a grassroots model that seeks to empower people in marginalized (and, often, neglected) communities with basic computer skills. Community computing emerged as a model of information and communication technology (ICT) for development in Bangalore, India. The model provides children living in slum communities a place to use computer technology and develop digital skills. The purpose of this paper is to describe and report on case study research of the Ramji Center by examining how the children at the center used and assigned meaning to the center's computer technology. Specifically, the paper investigates how the uses for the computer technology led students to develop a critical consciousness of themselves and their community.I organize the paper into four sections. In the first section, I introduce the study's social context and describe the theoretical frameworks that ground this study. In particular, I discuss the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory (Bijker, 1995), Paulo Freire's (1970) work related to conscientization, and Amartya Sen's (2001) work on social justice or nyaya. In the second section, I describe the research methodology. In the third section, I report on the findings from this case study on the Ramji Center. In the final section, called Discussion, I discuss the study's findings in relationship to the theoretical frameworks. I also further explain how the Ramji Center utilizes their ICT based curriculum towards social justice and the development of critical consciousness.BACKGROUNDBangalore is mirror of the great contrasts that is represented throughout India. While India is increasingly known for its highly skilled ICT industry, one third of the world's poor live in India. In his profound and sweeping book, India after Gandhi, Guha (2007) describes the contrasts in this way, "prosperity co-exists with human misery, technological sophistication with human degradation" (p. 711). Indeed, some parts of India are quite developed, but most of India is still developing (Guha, 2007; Kumar, 2010). An "emerging nation" is one label that policymakers often use to characterize India. But, as Guha (2007) perceptively notes it is difficult to identify or define India with one descriptor or label; India "is sui generis ... it stands on its own" (p. 771). In many ways, Bangalore also reflects India's uniqueness.Bangalore is framed by various meanings. Bangalore shares the dual, and somewhat binary, nicknames of India's Silicon Valley and India's Garden City. In early Indian history, Bangalore was known for being a lush retreat for South Indian royals. Today, Bangalore is a place that echoes with the hum of computer technology and the din of globalization. Bangalore as the nexus of globalization was popularized by the writings of Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and author of The World is Flat. Friedman (2005) associates Bangalore with the opportunities represented in a globalized world. He explains this association with the following rush of words, "Bangalore represents the possibility to collaborate and compete in real time with other people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the planet on a more equal footing than at any previous time in history" (Friedman, 2005, p. …