Digital technologies and activism in authoritarian contexts and beyond / edited by Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Shahram Akbarzadeh, and Ihsan Yilmaz.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ahmed, Zahid Shahab, editor.

Akbarzadeh, Shahram, editor.

Yılmaz, İhsan, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Authoritarianism--Cross-cultural studies.

Authoritarianism.

Internet and activism.

Political participation--Computer networks--Cross-cultural studies.

Political participation.

Technology--Sociological aspects.

Technology.

Political participation--Computer networks.

Genre:

Cross-cultural studies

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 363 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Provides a critical, global perspective on the contested relationship between technology, activism and democracy. Examines how digital technologies mediate power dynamics within authoritarian and other regimes and shape the possibilities and limitations of activism; Explores how activists navigate technological and political constraints, including their use of alternative tools and strategies; Analyses the intersection of political, economic, and social forces in shaping technologies and their consequences for activist movements; Investigates the paradoxical role of technologies, highlighting both their empowering potential and their use as instruments of surveillance and repression; Promotes a historically grounded and context-sensitive understanding of technologies and activist practices, challenging universalized narratives of digital activism This volume examines the complex and often paradoxical relationship between technologies and activism in authoritarian contexts. While technologies offer activists new tools for empowerment, networking and self-representation, they are equally susceptible to co-optation by political and corporate interests, resulting in heightened surveillance, censorship and threats to democratic processes. Moving beyond a narrow focus on digital tools, the book adopts a broad and inclusive definition of technologies to explore their diverse roles in shaping activism. Contributors investigate both the empowering and constraining effects of technologies across a range of authoritarian regimes, providing in-depth insights into the ways activists navigate and contest restrictive environments in authoritarian contexts and beyond. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, the volume offers a comprehensive analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing activism today, enriching our understanding of the evolving interplay between technology, power and democratic aspirations in different contexts"-- De Gruyter Brill.

Contents:

Introduction : The intersection of digital technologies, authoritarianism and online dissent / Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Shahram Akbarzadeh and Ihsan Yilmaz

Technology, power and uneven development : From the steam engine and telegram to artificial intelligence / Govand Khalid Azeez

Internet in Iran : Battlefront of ideas / Amin Naeni and Shahram Akbarzadeh

The impact of China’s smart digital technologies on Uyghur Muslims in China and the diaspora / Mettursun Beydulla

Digital authoritarianism, three generations of information control and government disinformation in Turkey / Bulent Kenes and Ihsan Yilmaz

Authoritarian approaches to internet governance and its incidence on transnational human rights advocacy networks – Myanmar’s post-coup reality / Guillemette Guicherd and Julia Ryng

The rising digital authoritarianism in Pakistan / Saeed Ahmed Rid and Zahid Shahab Ahmed

Vocalised resistance in authoritarian Egypt’s cyberspace : A study of podcasts / Ihsan Yilmaz and Nadeen Madkour

Blockchain technology in MENA : Impacts on authoritarianism and civil activism / Anas Iqtait

Digital platforms, youth activism and illiberal and authoritarian governance : The case of the Nigerian EndSARS movement / Najimdeen Bakare

Digital authoritarianism and dissent : How Bangladeshi activists used technology to fight authoritarianism / Saimum Parvez

Epistemic contestations and use/misuse of OSINT in India / Feeza Vasudeva-Barkdull

Hacker activism in Indonesia’s contemporary democracy / Abdullah Faqih and Fahmi Rizki Fahroji

Conclusion : Navigating digital authoritarianism, resistance and uncertainties / Ihsan Yilmaz, Shahram Akbarzadeh and Zahid Shahab Ahmed.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed February 17, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Digital technologies and activism in authoritarian contexts and beyond

ISBN:

9781399550512

1399550519

9781399550505

1399550500

OCLC:

1564131553

Publisher Number:

CIPO000318394

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license