Restorative Data Science and the Transformative Power of Absence

This conversation with Catherine D’Ignazio explores the potential of “restorative” and “transformative data science” as practices oriented toward justice, care, and the repair of systemic harm. Drawing on the experiences of activists documenting feminicide, the dialogue investigates how absence can be understood not as a lack but as a generative space for new forms of knowledge and action. D’Ignazio highlights the significance of emotional and relational labor, the rejection of automation when it undermines witnessing, and the creation of data networks grounded in reciprocity and autonomy. The interview shows how design, through a situated and critical stance, can help to envision more equitable futures by fostering practices of care, memory, and participation.