Latin-American cyborg methods: hacking digital methodologies in and for the scientific south

This article aims to critically examine the multifaceted challenges faced by Latin American scientists when using computational methods for data production and analysis, amidst limited access to essential knowledge, know-how, tools, infrastructure, and resources. We use an experimental, collaborative, and multi-situated methodological strategy grounded in participatory observation, in-depth interviews, ethnography, and autoethnography, conducted across different scientific contexts and fields in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Argentina, and Chile. Based on what we call a “cyborg methods” approach, which aims to understand the use, development, and circulation of these tools as intertwined with our own activity as researchers and situated in our local context, we explore different strategies that Latin American scientists use to navigate the precariousness and complexity of conducting research in the South, with a particular emphasis on the innovative appropriation of digital tools within resource-constrained environments and its transformative potential in overcoming those limitations. Our findings are synthesized into five key areas: data scarcity, infrastructural constraints, lack of formal training, methodological innovations, and copyright infringement as a means to access essential tools and data.