Digital governance of social movements in contemporary India

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ContextFor social movements, the digital acts as both a tool of contestation and a tool of oppression. This is especially in the Global South, where digital governance stems from both the state and the Global North. In India in particular, strict measures have been introduced in the name of digital sovereignty, but often with grave implications for internet freedom, and democratic process. Now living in the internet shutdown capital of the world, activists in India offer unique perspective on the developing nature of digital governance, through their experiences of navigating and confronting it.For my PhD research, I looked at the experiences of internet shutdowns, shadowbanning (the algorithmic de- prioritising or hiding of content without the user's knowledge) and doxxing (the sharing of personal identifying information, particularly contact details, without the user's consent) with feminist activists in northern India. I found that activists do perceive of the digital sphere as colonised, but in a complex interaction between the state government, multinational technology corporations, and pro-government activists. This has implications for theorising digital governance and (post)coloniality in contemporary India and beyond. Existing research on digital governance largely fails to consider the perspectives of those being governed.AimsThis Fellowship will consolidate my existing work through dissemination, and extend the scope of the research through exploratory work with related social movements in India: in particular the internet freedom movement, the Dalit rights movement, and the LGBTQ+ movement. I will engage key stakeholders including academics (in the UK, India and beyond), policy-influencers (think tanks and NGOs concerned with digital governance), and the activists themselves. I will build bridges between academics and practitioners, sharing knowledge across fields of expertise and geographic contexts, culminating in a workshop and consequent report. I aim to highlight the need to centre social movement perspectives in both research and policy work on digital governance, given the unique perspective offered by those engaged in active resistance. My thesis highlights that although there is a growing body of work on the coloniality of digital governance, there is little that considers the impact on social movement organising specifically, and the relationship between coloniality and post-colonial governance. I plan to build on my findings by examining them in intersectional context, considering issues of sexuality and caste in particular. These aims will be achieved through:Publishing my existing findings in relevant Politics and IR journals, making empirical, theoretical and methodological contributions;Organising a focused workshop on activism and governance, bringing together academics, practitioners and activists;Build connections with leading internet freedom and net neutrality organisations in India to contribute to existing campaigning and policy-influence work;Carrying out initial interviews with influential activists in related movements, building on existing networks in India and gaining intersectional perspectives on digital governance.This approach will allow me to enhance my profile as a researcher in UK and Indian academia, through both publication and networking, leading to greater opportunities for impact, and for career development.Next stepsI plan to develop a larger application to the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (February 2024) and the ESRC New Investigator Grant (July 2024). The Fellowship will allow me to carry out the necessary exploratory work for defining future research in the area of digital governance and social movements.