Sasha Costanza-Chock

Sasha Costanza-Chock is a scholar, activist, and media maker who focuses on social movements, transformative media organizing, and design justice. They are currently Director of Research & Design at the Algorithmic Justice League and Associate Professor at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Their influential book "Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need" (2020) established a framework for rethinking design processes to center people who are often marginalized by design practice. The work draws on their experience with the Design Justice Network, an international community of practice they co-founded. Costanza-Chock's research spans participatory technology design, digital media activism, and critical analyses of social movements' communication practices. Their earlier book "Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets!" (2014) examined immigrant rights movements' use of transmedia organizing strategies. They have received multiple awards for their scholarship and community engagement, including the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society Fellowship and the Tow Foundation Fellowship. Costanza-Chock identifies as nonbinary trans* femme and advocates for greater inclusion of marginalized communities in technology design and development.

Readers consistently highlight Costanza-Chock's "Design Justice" for bringing attention to how design processes can exclude or harm marginalized communities. Many academic and practitioner reviews note the book's concrete examples and clear framework for implementing more equitable design practices. What readers liked: - Practical tools and methodologies for inclusive design - Personal narratives that ground theoretical concepts - Clear writing style that makes complex ideas accessible What readers disliked: - Some found the academic language dense - Several readers wanted more case studies - A few noted repetition of key concepts Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (100+ ratings) MIT Press: 4.7/5 (50+ ratings) One reader noted: "Finally, a book that provides both theoretical foundation and practical steps for designing with justice in mind." Another wrote: "Changed how I approach my design practice, though took me time to work through some of the academic sections."

Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need (2020) Examines how design can perpetuate inequality and proposes principles for inclusive, collaborative design processes that center marginalized communities.

Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets! Transmedia Organizing and the Immigrant Rights Movement (2014) Analyzes how immigrant rights activists use digital media and cross-platform storytelling in social movements.

We Are Here: Community-Driven Research by Trans & Gender Nonconforming People of Color (2020) Documents research methodologies and findings from participatory action research conducted by and for trans and gender nonconforming people of color.

#transform: Digital Rights and Social Justice (2019) Explores the intersection of technology, social movements, and human rights in the digital age.

adrienne maree brown writes about social movements, emergent strategy, and transformative justice through a Black feminist lens. Her work explores collective organizing and community-building practices similar to Costanza-Chock's focus on participatory design.

Safiya Noble examines bias in technology and algorithmic discrimination, particularly regarding race and gender. Her research on how digital systems perpetuate inequalities aligns with Costanza-Chock's critiques of discriminatory design.

Virginia Eubanks investigates how digital technologies and automated systems impact poor and working-class communities. Her analysis of technological inequality and social justice connects directly to Costanza-Chock's work on design justice.

Ruha Benjamin studies the relationship between innovation and equity, focusing on how design can perpetuate or challenge racial hierarchies. Her examination of discriminatory design practices parallels Costanza-Chock's framework for understanding power in design systems.

Catherine D'Ignazio focuses on data feminism and how power operates in data science. Her work on inclusive data practices and participatory approaches to technology development shares common ground with Costanza-Chock's design justice principles.