Special Topics Research Seminar (525-0-34)

Topic

The Imperial Internet

Instructors

Sulafa S Zidani

Meeting Info

Frances Searle Building 3417: Mon 1:30PM - 4:20PM

Overview of class

From its early days, the internet was imbued in universal liberatory and democratizing promises. Yet, the internet was constructed with a set of desires, namely, of American elites, and is situated within a set of unequal relationships between various segments of society as well as different countries and regions. In this class, we will examine the links between the internet and imperialism-the ideological and material expressions of conquest and domination, which divide the world between zones of extraction and centers of capital. We will look into the ways that the internet replicates and reinforces imperialism, as well as the ways that internet users attempt to critique and disrupt some of these dynamics. We will be discussing different facets of the internet: from its history and material infrastructures, to its culture and labor relations, and its design and uses. The course will include readings on surveillance, content moderation, predictive algorithms, AI targeting systems, creative uses to counteract censorship and critique politics, as well as foundational texts on technology and imperialism and post/colonialism.

Class Attributes

Graduate Students Only