Uncertainty, resilience, and beyond: ICTs in protracted socio-political disruptions

Abstract

The global recognition around the transformative potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) highlights their crucial role in shaping and enriching critical aspects of human development. Along-side this recognition, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have also emphasized the promotion of ICTs for integration into various development efforts to accelerate progress on critical developmental goals. In alignment with these efforts, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research has increasingly focused on enhancing human development in diverse contexts through technology. By actively directing efforts to understand the impact of technology, e.g., on education, economic advancement, mental health, and wellbeing in resourced and under-resourced settings. However, regions going through ongoing socio-political unrest face varied developmental challenges. Among many other challenges, these regions often face restricted access to technology and resources, and the socio-political situation impacts the way technology is used and the outcomes it produces. This dissertation is situated in Kashmir, India, a region affected by socio-political conflict for over three decades. The protracted conflict has disrupted almost all developmental aspects, including education, due to prolonged closures of schools and colleges, worsened socio-economic conditions, particularly through rising unemployment among young people with higher education levels, and rising mental health challenges. Anchored in the domain of HCI, this dissertation presents five case studies that explore the impact of socio-political conflict in Kashmir, India, across domains of human development, including education, economic opportunities, and mental health. For that, we ask how do individuals utilize technology in regions affected by socio-political unrest. And, how might this understanding inform the development of culturally sensitive and contextually appropriate technologies to address the challenges faced in these regions. This dissertation further explores existing infrastructural support, the practices of individuals involved, and the technological assistance available for navigating the intertwined areas of education, employment, and mental health support. Through qualitative methods, this work draws on field visits and almost 100 semi-structured interviews with varied stakeholders and non-government organizations to investigate the barriers in education, job-seeking, self-employment opportunities, and access to professional mental health care. Building on the insights from these studies, this work highlights that research in such regions requires a specialized approach considering the region’s specific context and challenges. This work discusses socio-technical design recommendations shedding light on the impact of protracted socio-political crises on human development and contributing to the HCI communities’ understanding of such regions.