The Digipolitical and African Political Thought
Today, digitality is pervasive across all spheres of human social and political life. To inquire into digital-engendered ontologies, this paper presents a theoretical framework undergirding African political thought for the study of the political sphere in digitality, or the digipolitical. This neol...
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| Language: | English |
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Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/wjds/article/view/172 |
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| author | Claudia Favarato |
| author_facet | Claudia Favarato |
| author_sort | Claudia Favarato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Today, digitality is pervasive across all spheres of human social and political life. To inquire into digital-engendered ontologies, this paper presents a theoretical framework undergirding African political thought for the study of the political sphere in digitality, or the digipolitical. This neologism refers to the political as an ontological category redefined via its intersection with the digital. This understanding rests on three premises: the characteristics of the digital, a sui generis virtual reality; the algorithmic architecture of the cyber socio-political space; and the onto-relational nature of the political subjects, which entails the interplay of the analogue with digital-humans. Regarding more recent disciplines and theories, such as posthumanism, this paper brings to the fore insights offered by African political thought, which has long emphasized reading individuals, communities, and structures of power through the lens of the political centered on the concept of relationality. I defend the assertion that the relational approach inscribed in African political philosophies offers valuable insight into digital political onto-relationalities, as it discloses power from in-between spaces and details its dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26b8c85cc97e4caf85d94d1889ca504d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2748-5625 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-26b8c85cc97e4caf85d94d1889ca504d2025-01-16T17:54:34ZengWeizenbaum Institute for the Networked SocietyWeizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society2748-56252025-01-015110.34669/wi.wjds/5.1.4The Digipolitical and African Political ThoughtClaudia Favarato0University of BayreuthToday, digitality is pervasive across all spheres of human social and political life. To inquire into digital-engendered ontologies, this paper presents a theoretical framework undergirding African political thought for the study of the political sphere in digitality, or the digipolitical. This neologism refers to the political as an ontological category redefined via its intersection with the digital. This understanding rests on three premises: the characteristics of the digital, a sui generis virtual reality; the algorithmic architecture of the cyber socio-political space; and the onto-relational nature of the political subjects, which entails the interplay of the analogue with digital-humans. Regarding more recent disciplines and theories, such as posthumanism, this paper brings to the fore insights offered by African political thought, which has long emphasized reading individuals, communities, and structures of power through the lens of the political centered on the concept of relationality. I defend the assertion that the relational approach inscribed in African political philosophies offers valuable insight into digital political onto-relationalities, as it discloses power from in-between spaces and details its dynamics.https://ojs.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/wjds/article/view/172digipoliticaldigitalizationdigital humanitycomparative political theoryAfrican political philosophy |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Favarato The Digipolitical and African Political Thought Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society digipolitical digitalization digital humanity comparative political theory African political philosophy |
| title | The Digipolitical and African Political Thought |
| title_full | The Digipolitical and African Political Thought |
| title_fullStr | The Digipolitical and African Political Thought |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Digipolitical and African Political Thought |
| title_short | The Digipolitical and African Political Thought |
| title_sort | digipolitical and african political thought |
| topic | digipolitical digitalization digital humanity comparative political theory African political philosophy |
| url | https://ojs.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/wjds/article/view/172 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT claudiafavarato thedigipoliticalandafricanpoliticalthought AT claudiafavarato digipoliticalandafricanpoliticalthought |