Paper details
| Paper authors | Eiman Mohamed, Dr. Gianluca Iazzolino |
| In panel on | The politics of food and technology in changing global and local crises |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
While digital sovereignty has been gaining popularity in Western discourse over the last decade, the practice of internet shutdowns in developing countries has simultaneously been on the rise. Despite their intertwined significance, internet shutdowns are often understood through a narrow lens of digital sovereignty—primarily as tools for maintaining national security or controlling dissent.
This paper aims to fill this gap by examining the intersection of these phenomena in the context of the developing world, with a specific focus on Africa. Using Sudan as a case study, this research investigates how digital sovereignty is asserted through internet shutdowns and explores the broader implications of this practice for state power, economic control, food security, and individual rights. The study employs a qualitative framework, drawing on interviews with experts in telecommunications and digital rights advocacy, alongside an analysis of relevant documents and reports.
In doing so, the research reframes digital sovereignty in the context of the Global South, not merely as a matter of territorial control or censorship, but as a dynamic and multi-layered process shaped by conflict, infrastructure, and geopolitical influence.
