This talk highlights some key concerns with the growing "platformitization" of academic knowledge infrastructures that are controlled by a small number of multinational publishers. These oligarch publishers hold enormous power not only over how and where researchers publish, but also over the governance of universities as public institutions. Recent debates on open access have tended to focus on the visible problems with access (namely paywalls and licensing barriers), but insufficient attention has been given to the hidden and invisible power imbalance and asymmetry between the infrastructure providers and the users. I argue that much of these invisible and hidden elements that govern the current knowledge production system are deeply rooted in colonial practices and on Whiteness. This is why, despite the growing acceptance of open access, racial and other forms of inequities in scholarly production continues to widen. I will provide support to my arguments with case studies, and point to means for collective action for decentering Whiteness in knowledge production.

Presentation at the Critical Knowledge Forum Adelphi University Nov. 9, 2020