Digital governance of social movements in contemporary India

语境对于社会运动来说，数字既是一种竞争工具，也是一种压迫工具。这在全球南方尤其如此，那里的数字治理既源于国家，也源于全球北方。特别是在印度，以数字主权的名义推出了严格的措施，但往往会对互联网自由和民主进程产生严重影响。现在生活在世界互联网关闭之都的印度活动人士通过他们导航和应对数字治理的经历，对数字治理的发展本质提供了独特的视角。在我的博士研究中，我观察了印度北部女权主义活动人士的互联网关闭、影子禁止(在用户不知道的情况下对内容进行排序或隐藏的算法)和doxsing(在没有用户同意的情况下共享个人身份信息，特别是联系方式)的经历。我发现，活动人士确实认为数字领域是被殖民的，但在州政府、跨国科技公司和亲政府活动人士之间的复杂互动中。这对当代印度及其他地区的数字治理和(后)殖民主义的理论化有一定的影响。现有的关于数字治理的研究在很大程度上没有考虑到被统治者的视角。目的本奖学金将通过传播巩固我现有的工作，并通过与印度相关社会运动的探索性工作扩大研究范围：特别是互联网自由运动、达利特权利运动和LGBTQ+运动。我将让关键的利益相关者参与进来，包括学者(在英国、印度和其他地方)、政策影响者(关注数字治理的智库和非政府组织)以及活动人士本身。我将在学者和实践者之间架起桥梁，跨专业领域和地理背景分享知识，最终在研讨会和随后的报告中达到顶峰。考虑到那些积极抵抗的人提供的独特视角，我的目标是强调在数字治理的研究和政策工作中以社会运动视角为中心的必要性。我的论文强调，尽管关于数字治理的殖民性的研究越来越多，但很少有人具体考虑数字治理对社会运动组织的影响，以及殖民性与后殖民治理之间的关系。我计划在我的发现的基础上，在交叉的背景下对它们进行研究，特别是考虑到性和种姓问题。这些目标将通过以下方式实现：在相关政治学和国际关系期刊上发表我现有的发现，做出经验、理论和方法上的贡献；组织一次关于激进主义和治理的重点研讨会，将学者、从业者和活动家聚集在一起；与印度领先的互联网自由和网络中立组织建立联系，为现有的竞选和政策影响工作做出贡献；对相关运动中有影响力的活动家进行初步采访，建立在印度现有网络的基础上，获得关于数字治理的交叉视角。这种方法将使我能够通过出版和网络，提高我作为英国和印度学术界研究人员的形象，带来更大的影响和职业发展机会。下一步，我计划开发更大的申请勒沃胡姆早期职业联谊会(2024年2月)和ESRC新研究员补助金(2024年7月)。该研究金将使我能够开展必要的探索性工作，以确定未来在数字治理和社会运动领域的研究。

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.