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study of women hackers
``` [Paul Edwards is an interesting and nice guy who wrote a good book on the early history of AI entitled "The Closed World". His new project concerns women hackers, and he's looking for relevant information and potential interviewees. I'd much appreciate if you could forward this to anyone who might be able to help him.]
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Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 12:38:37 -0500
From: "Paul N. Edwards"
I'm a historian of technology. Most of my work concerns the political, social, and cultural history of computers and their uses. Members of this list may know my book The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996). More information about me is available on WWW at the URL below.
I'm now working on a historical article about women hackers, based largely on email and telephone interviews. The purpose of the article is to investigate myths and realities surrounding the role of women in computing, especially during the 1960s and 1970s, when most authors have argued that hacking was more or less exclusively male. As I've met more and more women recently who describe themselves as hackers, I've become interested in the particular experiences of the small minority of hackers who were female. (NB: I am purposely leaving the definition of the term up to respondents.)
I'd like to hear from women who fit any of the following categories:
1) self-identified hackers; 2) women who have had extensive involvement with hacker communities in some way, while not necessarily identifying as hackers; and 3) women computer professionals who have done serious thinking about the gender roles of hackers.
I'm especially (but not exclusively) interested in women whose experience dates from the period prior to 1985. I would like to interview as many of you as possible, either by telephone, or by email. I've prepared a short (but broad) questionnaire that can be the basis for either oral or written responses. Interviews can be confidential, if desired.
I'm also looking for:
4) documents relating to women hackers. These might include, for example, old email, other correspondence, newsgroup postings, or published literature. Again, I'm primarily but not exclusively interested in the period before 1985.
Hope you'll be interested. I will be happy to send you a copy of the questionnaire or to interview you by phone. It would also be helpful to have names/emails of other women who might be willing to participate.
Paul
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Paul N. Edwards Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer Program in Science, Technology, and Society, Stanford University http://www.stanford.edu/group/STS/edwards.html Director, Information Technology & Society Project http://www.stanford.edu/group/itsp/
TEMPORARY ADDRESS, AUGUST 25-DECEMBER 20 1997:
University of Michigan (313) 647-8029 (office) School of Information (313) 764-7414 (Residential College) 403B West Hall (313) 764-2475 (fax) 550 East University Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092 Email remains the same: pedwards@pcd.stanford.edu
PERMANENT ADDRESS:
Bldg. 370 Rm. 111 (415) 723-6817 (o) Stanford University (415) 725-5389 (fax) Stanford, CA 94305-2120 pedwards@pcd.stanford.edu ```
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