The new information feudalism

Africa's relationship with the global information society

Bibliographic Data

ID5725142
AuthorsOdilile Ayodele (0000-0001-7151-7080, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume27
Issue1
Pages67-87
Publication date2020-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth African Journal of International Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1022-0461 • E-ISSN: 1938-0275
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10220461.2020.1750470
OpenAlexW3019108876
LanguageEN
Citations received2

There is an inevitable tension between industrialised nations and developing nations over ownership of information flow. For African countries, the inability to build the additional infrastructure needed to bridge the digital divide without the help of the private sector, as well as more developed countries, serves as a structural barrier to meaningful engagement in the information society. This article revisits Peter Drahos’s concept of information feudalism and argues that as information-rich states and non-state actors become politically powerful, African states are relegated to serfdom. Moreover, the various forces wrestling for primacy over information and data governance constrain African agency in the international system. The article answers two key questions: is Africa an active participant of the information society, and what does information politics underscore about the continued imbalance in the international system

Corporate governance · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Feudalism · Information society · Management · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Serfdom · Social science · Sociology · ICT Impact and Policies · Law · Public Administration

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