Infrastructure Manifest (v. 1.0) - Sarah Montoya - Chapter 3 - “Networking the Nation: Settler Colonialism as Analytic in Critical Infrastructure Studies”
Infrastructure Type Descriptiona

Control point for access to or useb

For example, identify the owner, regulator, manager, etc. as appropriate

Open Source, Open Access, or Public Resource/Utilityc Proprietaryc How heavily used?d Reliabilityd Satisfaction for Userd Ethical concerns (known or possible) Comments

Land infrastructure

For example, properties ceded, unceded, public, private, etc.

Include only principal land infrastructures.

The unceded lands of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples, the caretakers and kin of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) on which UCLA and UCLA’s Graduate Student Housing stands University Property held by UCLA and the Regents of the University of California system, additional land and resource management by a variety of settler state agencies Yes Yes 10 8 While UCLA is a technically categorized as a public university, the area designated as the university and Westwood, its surrounding area, are heavily policed and are themselves evidence of a long history of redlining and segregation. The space and place of the university is predicated on Indigenous dispossession, a series of racialized displacements of peoples, and violently exploitative settler colonial racialized labor regimes. I came into relation with the land through my inherently harmful presence as an uninvited Mexican-American settler on unceded lands. Additionally, navigating the deeply racialized landscape of UCLA/Westwood as a non-white student was profoundly difficult—hence my refusal to quantify “satisfaction.”

Materials infrastructure

For example, notable common or rare extracted or other materials used in research, production, and communication.

Break down by notable materials used in devices or tools if appropriate.

The materials in Macbook latop and iPhone are contingent upon colonialism, dispossession, and the development of global capitalism. Resource extraction of conflict minerals for such items include, but are not limited to, Gold, Tantalum, Tin, and Tungston (2023 Apple Conflict Minerals Disclosure). A variety of settler state and nation-state powers and companies which range according to the extractive site. Not Applicable Not Applicable 10 10 The supply chains of such extractive industries are notoriously opaque. There has been and continues to be serious and legimitate concern that the minerals in electronics are unethically sourced (2024 Conflict Minerals in Tech Goods and Home Appliances). For the remainder of the manifest, I will not quantify user satisfaction as it feels inappropriate and, at times, unethical to rate my satisfaction with materials and infrastructures largely contingent on exploitation and racial violence in its myriad forms. Further, as an abolitionist and feminist scholar, my commitment to the political projects of decolonization and Land Back movements are urgent reminders that existing and living in a settler colonial world is anything but satisfactory. I am not and cannot be satisfied by or with material arrangements realized through conquest.

Energy infrastructure

For example, principal energy sources and infrastructure used in research, production, and communication

Natural gas and electricity form my principle energy sources. The California Public Utilities Commission (Commission or CPUC) regulates natural gas utility rates and services provided by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) (Natural Gas in California). Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) manages electricity produced by renewable energy, natural gas, nuclear energy, large hydroelectric energy, and coal (2019 LADWP Power System Facts and Figures). Gasoline for occasional trip to library, purchased from local ARCO, owned by Marathon Petroleum Corporation which was originally part of Marathon Petroleum.
  • SoCalGas
  • CPUC
  • LADWP
  • California Energy Governing Institutions
Yes Yes 10 10 By merit of dispossession and exploitation of land, extractive industries are inherently unethical and cause continued environmental destruction.

Transportation infrastructure

For example, private or public transportation needed for daily or research trips

Personal vehicle operated by gas. Self, subject to California DMV and other settler state regulatory agencies. Not Applicable Yes 6 7 Ethical concerns include reliance on gas, continued environmental destruction and emissions, and conditions in the manufacturing plant which produced the vehicle.

Architectural infrastructure

For example, buildings, labs, rooms

UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library and UCLA’s Gender Studies Department. University property held by UCLA and the Regents of the University of California system, additional land and resource management by a variety of settler state agencies. Yes Yes 7 8 See note on land infrastructure.

Civic, community, national, or regional infrastructure

For example, provided by cities, communities, governments, etc.

Public roads and highways used for vehicle transportation. Bureau of Street Services LA, LA County Public Works. Yes Not Applicable 6 9 LA city infrastructure is underwritten by dispossession and realized through raced and gendered labor regimes.

Institutional infrastructure

For example, equipment, services, and “overhead” or “indirect cost recovery” items for grants to universities

Campus nework and staffing costs, specifically the staff in the Charles E. Young Research Library and UCLA’s Gender Studies Department. UCLA and the Regents of the University of California. Yes Yes 7 10 Ethical concerns include the underpaid and unpaid labor of undergraduate and graduate student staff and the underpaid labor of administrative staff.

Labor infrastructure

For example, type and amount of labor from collaborators, staff, research assistants; include any attributes that seem important, such as unrecognized, unpaid, low-paid, outsourced, or other attributes of labor

I am deeply indebted to my intellectual community, many of whom are Indigenous and Black abolitionist, feminist scholars, who have taught me much. I thank the editors of the collection who provided feedback and flexibility. Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable 10 10 Ethical concerns include the underpaid and unpaid labor of women of color in academia.

Research-content infrastructure

For example, physical libraries and archives, online research materials, shadow libraries, etc.

Texts borrowed from the Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA library’s digital collections, and personal library of physical texts.
  • UCLA and the Regents of the University of California
  • Vendors with licenses and contracts with UCLA’s libraries
Not Applicable Yes 10 10 See note on land infrastructure.

Tools infrastructure

For example, principal analog tools and digital tools, scripts, or protocols used for research, writing, communication, production (excluding high-performance computing, for which see below)

Analog tools include notes on paper and physical texts which I prefer. Digital tools include word processing in Microsoft Office Word and in Google Docs; email by gmail; digital spreadsheets in Google Sheets; feedback for chapters provided via Manifold platform. Tools like Gmail or Microsoft Office are network or cloud based with distributed points of control. Not Applicable Yes 9 9 Ethical concerns include data privacy and the information monopoly Google/Alphabet holds.

Networked Platforms infrastructure

For example, major networked or cloud platforms used for research, storage, analysis, sharing, communication, publication—Google Drive, Dropbox, AWS, etc. (excluding high-performance computing, for which see below)

Google drive was used heavily in the production of the collection. Google/Alphabet ultimately holds the control point. Not Applicable Yes 6 9 Ethical concerns include data privacy and the information monopoly Google/Alphabet holds.

High-performance computing infrastructure

Here defined expansively to include the use not just of supercomputers and computer clusters or grids but any high-performance computing infrastructure or special GPU and other processors exceeding the capabilities of an individual workstation, laptop, or server.

Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable
Other infrastructure

Care and kin networks which provide a sense of community and provide the emotional support necessary for me to produce academic writing.

Medical and insurance networks to manage my chronic health conditions and disabilities so I can produce academic writing.

Not Applicable Not Applicable 10 10

This infrastructure manifest was completed by Sarah Montoya and reports on Chapter 3, “Networking the Nation: Settler Colonialism as Analytic in Critical Infrastructure Studies.”