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Polyfoni is an independent non-profit research communication platform based in Oslo that aims to amplify human-centred and decolonized voices from social scientists based in, or working on, the Global South, in a world increasingly shaped by AI and algorithmic infrastructures.
Through editorial work, mentorship, events, and research-communication partnerships, we support knowledge dissemination, build communities, facilitate dialogue, and stimulate public debate. Through this work, we seek to centre the Global South in global consciousness and knowledge production while foregrounding human voices in a future dominated by logics of optimization.
Founders
Founders
We are three social scientists with research interests in the Global South working across social science disciplines such as anthropology, global entrepreneurship, global public health, feminist studies, and science fiction studies. Through Polyfoni, we aspire to bring together researchers like us and to highlight the perspectives we have gained from experiences from the Global South. We are particularly interested in the issue of how AI and technology impacts the future of social science research in the Global South. We particularly welcome scholars from historically marginalized groups to join us!
Dr. Olivia Yijian Liu is a business anthropologist based in Oslo. Her research focuses on China's AI and innovation infrastructure, with a particular interest in how the Chinese state governs AI transformation and how governance policies affect startups and the people who work in the industry. Since the completion of her PhD, she has been working at the intersection of big tech, venture capital, academia, and strategy consultation.
Dr. Mingyuan Zhang Betancourt is an anthropologist and researcher at the Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo. She holds a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Her academic interests focus on Chinese-led development projects in Madagascar and China’s role in global public health governance.
Dr. Regina Kanyu Wang is a science fiction writer, editor, translator, and academic researcher. She is known for her work promoting Chinese science fiction internationally and for writing fiction that blends technology, culture, and social themes. She is affiliated with the University of Oslo as a postdoctoral research fellow.
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