For 2026–2027, the (In)Justice Series on Data & Power examines data in the context of diaspora: how people in movement experience the data that defines them.
Building on last year’s conversations about how different forms of data influence power, identity, and justice, the 2026-2027 (In)Justice Series on Data & Power will specifically examine data in the context of diaspora: how people in migration due to exile, banishment, colonialism, genocide, or the search for a better life experience the data that defines them. This year, our panelists will explore how institutions use different forms of data to classify people and regulate their movement, influence who is recognized as belonging and able to move freely or not, and control whose histories and experiences are preserved or erased. We will ask how information is collected and how it becomes authority, policy, and power—as well as how communities can resist, reclaim, and reimagine its use on their own terms.
At a time when federal immigration officers are empowered by an aggressive anti-immigration agenda and AI-powered surveillance systems track our daily movements, these conversations create space for interdisciplinary scholars, artists, practitioners, and community members with deep personal experience to share their stories and make sense of the increasing quantity of data at our fingertips. Join us in critically examining the information systems that define our world as we imagine more just, inclusive, and community-centered ways of understanding identity and belonging.
The 2026-2027 (In)Justice Series follows four interconnected questions:
- Who gets to belong?
Thursday, October 29, 2026
The Language of Displacement: Identity and the Power of Words - Who gets to move—and who gets tracked?
Thursday, December 3, 2026
The Permission to Move: Borders and the Politics of Migration - Who gets mapped?
Thursday, March 11, 2027
Mapping Belonging: The Geographies of Home - Who gets remembered?
Thursday, April 22, 2027
The Future of Memory: Remembering, Repairing, Reimagining
The University of Minnesota (In)Justice Series presented by the Institute for Advanced Study brings together scholars, artists, activists, and community leaders to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. The series focuses on exploring different visions for what justice might look like. Featured guests offer different lenses to approach today’s social problems, and together we will gain a deeper understanding of how to build a better future and a more just world.
All IAS events are free and open to the public.
Series artwork by Blackbird Revolt, LLC.
2025-2026 (In)Justice Series on Data & Power
For 2025–2027, the (In)Justice Series will consider data: how it is collected, who controls it, and what it reveals (or conceals) about power, identity, and justice. In a world increasingly driven by numbers, algorithms, and surveillance, we will ask much more than just how data is used. We will ask who is using it, for what purpose, and at whose expense. Over the next two years, we will explore how data intersects with public health, culture, representation, and belonging, revealing the systems that shape our communities and lives, and the movements that emerge to resist erasure. As we explore these evolving topics together, we invite all to join and build knowledge grounded in community wisdom, justice, and care.
The 2025–2026 series is supported by the MnDRIVE Human in the Data Initiative.
The University of Minnesota (In)Justice Series presented by the Institute for Advanced Study brings together scholars, artists, activists, and community leaders to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. The series focuses on exploring different visions for what justice might look like. Featured guests offer different lenses to approach today’s social problems, and together we will gain a deeper understanding of how to build a better future and a more just world.
Who Owns Your Medical Information?
November 6, 2025. Investigating data privacy, healthcare surveillance, and algorithmic bias in medical decision making. Full event details.
Who Gets to Define “Latino”?
December 4, 2025. Celebrating the complexity of the fastest-growing demographic in the United States. Full event details.
What Happened to the Family Tree?
March 19, 2026. Uplifting oral histories as a means for re(connecting) to what is lost in the wake of forced migration, displacement, and incarceration. Full event details.
Is AI the Biggest Gatekeeper?
April 23, 2026 (rescheduled from January 19). Unpacking racial and cultural bias in content algorithms, and how artists are fighting back. Full event details.
2024-2025 (In)Justice Series on Just Policing
In 2024–25, the (In)Justice Series partnered with the Andrew W. Mellon-funded Sawyer Seminar on “Just Policing.” In conversation with community activists and leading scholars, we critically examined how policing intersects with broader societal issues across the globe and explore efforts to transform policing.
The University of Minnesota (In)Justice Series presented by the Institute for Advanced Study brings together scholars, artists, activists, and community leaders to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. The series focuses on exploring different visions for what justice might look like. Featured guests offer different lenses to approach today’s social problems, and together we will gain a deeper understanding of how to build a better future and a more just world.
View the full 2024–25 (In)Justice Series on Just Policing Schedule