New questions from global data

Big data and global mapping exercises are sometimes “anti-theory,” as they claim to offer full representations of reality that render theoretical explanation redundant. Butglobal data can be theoretically generative if we pay attention to details and ask “what does the data mean?” Furthermore, global data may shed light on intersections between technology, policy, materiality, ideology and ethics. In this video Biao Xiang joins Jelena Dzankic, Timothy Jacob-Owens and Lorenzo Piccoli of the European University Institute (EUI)to explore the use of global data in migration and mobility studies.