culture_unlocked is a space for discussing, sharing resources and designing learning materials to promote a deep understanding of complex and too often misused concepts such as “culture”, “identity”, “multicultural” or “intercultural” beyond the humanities and social sciences disciplines.
We believe that broadening cultural horizons should be part of all educational programs and professional trainings, most importantly in the emerging tech industry that is shaping the lives of people all around the world. Developing cultural sensitivity and awareness is essential for the development of inclusive technologies that help shape a more human-centered internet.
Drawing from the vast body of research and literature in the social sciences, we create learning resources adapted to different areas of knowledge and industries. So far we have researched and designed teaching resources for language departments in schools of technology and engineering. Now we are aiming at expanding the reach of our work to other areas and populations. We are looking to collaborate with groups and organizations with convergent values to develop innovative resources and learning strategies, which may range from formal academic programs to public campaigns or short trainings for specific professional communities or civil society groups, such as tech developers, educators, researchers or activists.
In this site you will find some of the projects that we have developed in partnership with educational institutions, research groups and digital rights organizations. We have also started a collaborative library of resources to be used by anyone that, like us, seek to install cultural sensitivity and skills at the center of technological and educational innovation. If you would like to contribute, please feel free to drop us a line!
We defend the idea that humanities and social sciences hold key insights for a deeper understanding of scientific and technical disciplines. And that bridging these two worlds will open the door for more innovative, diverse and helpful approaches to create new technologies. We live in an interdisciplinary world. It is only common sense that we need interdisciplinary approaches in order to find the best solutions to multifaceted problems.
We hope, ultimately, that our work will help us advance towards a global citizenship, founded on the principles of plurality of thought, which understands and celebrates the multiplicity of our ever-changing identities and cultures.