NICA recommends | Keynote and Panel + Workshop with Ruha Benjamin
Who Owns the Future? – with Ruha Benjamin, Marietje Schaake & Robin Aïsha Pocornie
Date: 17 June 2025
Time: 17:30
Location: Rode Hoed, Amsterdam
The John Adams Institute and the Rode Hoed are thrilled to invite sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Ruha Benjamin. Drawing on her latest book Imagination for her keynote talk, she challenges the myth of neutral tech, introducing the notion of the “New Jim Code”—a term she coined to describe how technologies can replicate and deepen social biases in reference to the segregation-era laws and policies implemented in United States. Through compelling examples of biased bots and well-meaning algorithms gone haywire, Benjamin exposes how race and other so-called “disqualifiers” are embedded into the systems we use, asking us to imagine how tech could be reimagined for justice and equity.
After her keynote talk, Benjamin will be joined by Marietje Schaake and Robin Aïsha Pocornie.
Dreams we Practice – A Session on Imagination with Ruha Benjamin
Date: 15 June 2025
Time: 14:30
Location: Felix Meritis, Amsterdam
What does it mean to dream responsibly? What realities must we unlearn to make space for collective freedom? This intimate program invites a small circle of students, artists, organizers, and thinkers to collectively explore the radical possibilities of imagination as a tool for liberation and social transformation.
Departing from Ruha Benjamin’s latest work Imagination: A Manifesto this interactive, book-club-style session offers space for exploration and reflection, not just on the text, but on the possibilities it opens up for collective dreaming and/in action. Overall, this program gives participants an opportunity to informally engage with Ruha herself about the very topics Imagination: A Manifesto explores and adresses.