Theater of the Techno-Oppressed Workshop Explores Technology, Power, and Resistance

The Delft Design for Values Institute’s Special Interest Group “Design for Justice” recently hosted the participatory workshop Theater of the Techno-Oppressed, facilitated by Dr. Frederick van Amstel at TU Delft.

The workshop brought together students, researchers, and members of the TU Delft community to critically reflect on how digital technologies shape everyday life and mediate power relations. Drawing inspiration from Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed and incorporating embodied interaction design practices, the session explored how technologies such as social media platforms and apps can reinforce inequality, exclusion, and exploitation – but also how they can become sites of resistance and transformation.

Throughout the workshop, participants engaged in interactive exercises that involved acting out technology-mediated situations, reflecting collectively on power structures embedded in digital systems, and imagining alternative and more liberating technological futures.

A central aspect of the workshop was its emphasis on participation and accessibility. The session welcomed all participants regardless of acting experience and acknowledged the importance of creating space for different embodied experiences and perspectives.

The workshop formed part of the ongoing activities of the SIG Design for Justice, which explores plural and interdisciplinary approaches to justice in design, technology, and innovation.

More information about Frederick van Amstel and the Theater of the Techno-Oppressed can be found on this website.