Future Worlds: Chinese Techno Power and African Imaginaries

Situated within geopolitical and historical Afro-Sino engagements, this talk focuses on the ways that the logics and discourses of Chinese technological production intersect with African techno-imaginaries. Specifically, Professor Avle maps the socio-technical practices that link Africa and China via the design and uses of AI, computing hardware, and data flows, primarily outside of state and state-sponsored projects. Through this, she provides evidence for how particular techno-futures are made, adapted, and refused by entrepreneurs and citizens ‘on-the-ground’ amid changing geo- and techno- politics.

Seyram Avle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on digital technology cultures and innovation across parts of Africa, China, and the United States. This work primarily takes a critical approach towards understanding how digital technologies are made and used, as well as their implications for issues of labor, identity, and futures.

A recording of this in-person only talk will be made available following the event.