The Value of Connectivity: A Case Study of Cellular Networks in the Rural Philippines (MA ’18)
Anushah’s background is in history and economics and she is interested in questions of how technological and social trends inform one another. She uses the models and methods of these disciplines – theories of technological change, an eye towards historical contingencies, and familiarity with programming tools – to undergird her work. In the past she’s studied how internet users make sense of barriers they encounter when accessing the web, how cellular communications alter the nature of village life in the Philippines, and how the South Asian diaspora finds community and reckons with its history using Facebook. Her dissertation research focuses on the development of multilingual computing and the significance of it for the Global South. Her week has been funded by the Ford Foundation, the International Computer Science Institute, the Berkeley Center for New Media, and the Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies.
Prior to embarking on her current course of study, Anushah’s research focused primarily on issues of access to improved water and sanitation (WASH) in South Asia. She worked with a range of government and nonprofit stakeholders to conduct needs assessments and impact evaluations of technology and policy innovations in this area. Anushah continues to engage with developments in WASH through the Water Group research lab. Anushah hopes to advance open and inclusive science communication, which she pursues through maintaining the ERG student blog, Life@ERG and working as an instructor and consultant at the D-Lab, UC Berkeley’s social science research lab.
Research:
ERG Water Group
Links: