Feminist Scholar To Discuss Technology Literacy On March 5

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Prominent feminist scholar Anne Balsamo will give a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 5, at the Museum of Art and History in the McPherson Center, 705 Front Street, in downtown Santa Cruz.

Balsamo, a senior research scientist at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in San Jose, will deliver a multimedia presentation entitled "Experiments in the Future of Reading," addressing issues of media literacy and the increasing digital divide. The presentation is based on an interactive museum exhibit that is about to go on national tour after its debut last year at the San Jose Technology Museum. Balsamo’s discussion will also address the topic of "New Media, New Literacy" which focuses on the relationship of technology to literacy and literacy in the digital age. Donna Haraway, a professor in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz, will introduce Balsamo and provide commentary afterwards.

Balsamo’s work investigates the relationship between culture and technology, and she is trying to develop ways to document and analyze the new forms of cultural production that are taking place on the internet. Her first book, Technologies of the Gendered Body: Reading Cyborg Women, examined the relationship between new biotechnologies and gender identity. Her research during the past few years has focused on the development of new media genres.

Prior to joining the research staff at Xerox PARC, Balsamo was the director of a graduate program in information design and technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is currently working on a new book called "Designing Culture" that discusses the process and politics of the design of new media. She holds a doctoral degree in mass communications and cultural studies.

The event is sponsored by the Science, Technology, Medicine, and Justice Research Cluster of the UCSC Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community.