Hello all,
My name is Arwid Lund. I have a PhD in Information Studies (formerly Library and
Information Science) from Uppsala University, Sweden. My dissertation was about
Swedish Wikipedia, peer production and the relation to the economy/capitalism.
Now I am starting to look at the relation between Swedish ALM institutions and
Wikimedia Sweden around open data from the state’s perspective (and expecially
the ALM agencies’ perspective). Questions of e-government and commercial big
data are related questions. The project, if it receives funding, will connect
these questions to international discourses and the international open
knowledge movement.
From May (9th) to August (8th) I will stay in London on a fellowship at University
of Westminster between May (9th) to August (8th), and do
research connected to this latter part of the project. I would therefore very
much like to speak to members and advocates of OKF in London (where I will be
staying) or in UK during this time. The result of the research will first of
all be published in a research paper series of WIAS (Westminster Institute of
Advanced Studies) and later in an academic journal.
I am interested in how openness is perceived within the open knowledge movement.
Does open knowledge (data, content) mean the same when related to government, to commons-based peer production projects, or to company activities? Does the notion of openness change in relation to the state, civil society and the economy? And if no/yes, why so? The answers can, but do not have to, touch upon OKF’s definition of the concept open, and they can be both personal or representing the foundation. It is important to stress that you do not have to be an expert in copyright issues, and so on, to contribute to the investigation. The analysis will in the end be conducted on a social level rather than on a personal level.
I will mainly try to map the political landscape within the open knowledge foundation
and the broader movement around openness of data and content, with a special
interest for arguments and positions regarding the relation between open data
and big data, and how it connects to civil society, the public sector, and
commercial companies.
I am thinking of both interviewing people, but also of attending meetings
(if possible) for participant observation. Maybe it also could be a good idea
to conduct a study/discussion at a forum like this. It depends on what you
think is appropriate.
All the best,
Arwid Lund
PhD in
Information Studies, Department of ALM, Uppsala University, Sweden
E-mail: arwid.lund@abm.uu.ser