Africa and the Digital Savior Complex
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2173187 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bhakti Shringarpure (English, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 178-194 |
| Publication date | 2020-04-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of African Cultural Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1369-6815 • E-ISSN: 1469-9346 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13696815.2018.1555749 |
| OpenAlex | W2904089166 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 10 |
This article examines the phenomenon of 'digital humanitarianism' that originates in and is practiced by the international community, and has found particular impetus through the ways in which it has engaged African people, places, and issues. Digital humanitarianism presents new technological approaches to ameliorate humanitarian work but I argue that there has emerged a 'Digital Savior Complex' which not only transforms complex crises into quotidian cyber realities but also furthers existing colonial hierarchies between the savior and the saved. The article argues that the Save Darfur movement was, in fact, the first example of the Digital Savior Complex in action. However, the unfair representations it tends to foreground have not gone unnoticed by a particularly influential Africa-centric digital media. I draw attention to the attempts to push back at the Digital Savior Complex by using the example of Kony 2012, a case that proved to be an effective unmasking of the modes of digital solidarity that were hitherto unchecked. This enabled an epistemic and discursive shift in the conversation about the misrepresentation of Africa and Africans, and insisted on corrective, resistant and decolonized approaches to depict and reflect upon events on the continent
Action (physics · Conversation · Epistemology · Media studies · Misrepresentation · Phenomenon · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Solidarity · Global Security and Public Health · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Peacebuilding and International Security · Communication · Law · Philosophy
Decentring Narratives around Business and Human Rights Instruments
Archives, the Digital Turn, and Governance in Africa
Rebalancing the Historical Narrative or Perpetuating Bias? Digitizing the Archives of the Mineworkers' Union of Zambia
I think they’re the real villains in all of this
The dark side of moral outrage
The Insta-Gaze
The Geopolitics of Travel Blogging
The Human Right to Dominate
Digital Humanitarians
Humanitarian Campaigns in Social Media
Speed, International Security, and "New War" Coverage in Cyberspace
The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism
The Politics of Morality
What's Wrong with Doing Good? Reflections on Africa, Humanitarianism, and the Challenge of the Global
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |