week 3
DIGITAL COLONIALISM
Data is important to modern buissnesses and technology as compagnies collect all their info and use it to make money and understand customers but this can become dangerous in contries where they have less law and control over data. = digital colonisism
During the 1800s, European countries took control of large parts of Africa (used military force) = Scramble for Africa. European countries divided up African territory among themselves By 1900, European countries controlled almost 90% of Africa. the reason why they did this was for profit from gold,diamons,rubber and more. large compagnies were also involved in colonialisim. Some companies eventually gained so much power that they could control territory,make trade agreements,use military forces and more
Digital colonialism = Digital colonialism means that powerful foreign technology companies collect and control people's data, often without people fully understanding how their information will be used.
There are four main groups involved:
Technology companies
They create the platforms and technology that collect people's data.Advertising and consulting companies
They use that data to target specific groups with advertisements and messages.Local companies and organizations
They pay for these services to reach people and promote their own goals.Citizens
People create the data simply by using websites, apps, phones, and other technology.
data is extremely valuable.
what they search for,
what websites they visit,
where they are,
what advertisements they click,
companies can create detailed profiles of users.This allows companies to create highly targeted advertising.
Smaller companies often do not have these same resources. Because of this, the biggest technology companies can become even more powerful and dominate new markets.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze enormous amounts of information and find patterns that humans might not notice.companies can use data to make guesses about someone's identity
predictive analytics = Using information from the past to predict what someone might do in the future. The concern is that companies might know things about people before the people themselves fully realize them.
only a small number of companies have access to extremely large amounts of personal data. And because these companies have so much data, they have an advantage over smaller companies. this creates a cycle
More users → more data → better AI → better predictions → more valuable services → more users → even more data
making it more difficult for smaller companies to compete.
Many African countries have limited internet infrastructure. Because of this, large Western technology companies can present themselves as helping Africa by bringing internet access and technology. (white savior)
another issue is the lack of competition this gives them significant power over the digital market.
If data protection laws are the problem, wouldn't stronger laws solve digital colonialism?
not totally
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a major European data-protection law. but still dont fullt stop digital colonialism.
African countries do not all have the same privacy laws. The African Union also created a framework for cybersecurity and data protection, but relatively few countries had formally adopted it but even these protections have weaknesses and loopholes.
The author argues that having privacy laws does not guarantee that big technology companies will follow them. Breaking a law is worth the potential punishment for them. So even large fines might not be enough to discourage enormous companies.
Kenya's proposed data-protection law at the time did not clearly establish specific fines for companies that violated the law.Instead, the complaints authority would decide what action to take.The author argues that this creates another problem. A company could potentially shut down or declare bankruptcy before it has to face punishment.
I think digital colonialism is interesting because it shows that colonialism does not always have to involve physically taking over land. i think its also interesting how valuable personal data has become expecially because the average user don't always understand how much information companies can collect or what they can predict from it which i think makes AI alot scarier.
The resistance movement
The Chittagong Hill Tracts border India and Myanmar and cover about 10% of Bangladesh’s land.
home to 13+ Indigenous groups
practice jhum cultivation, which is a type of shifting cultivation.
theres been conflict is mainly about the relationship between the Bangladeshi state and Indigenous peoples of the CHT.
ther hills had stronger connections with areas that are now India and Myanmar
it was at one point apart of pakistand and it wanted more control over the hills for its own gain so Pakistan encouraged Bengali people to settle in the CHT. This meant Indigenous people increasingly became a smaller proportion of the population in their own region.
One of the biggest sources of anger was the construction of the Kaptai hydroelectric project in the 1960s as the dam flooded a huge amount of land, including some of the area's most productive farmland. causing alot of displacement. India, the United States, China, and the Soviet Union were also involved in the wider political situation.
When Bangladesh became independent, the situation did not immediately improve.Bangladesh's 1972 Constitution promoted Bengali nationalism rather than recognizing the CHT's Indigenous ethnic identities separately. Indigenous leaders objected because they wanted their distinct cultures and identities to be recognized.
eventually there was armed conflict between Indigenous groups and the government for many years. After negotiations, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed in 1997 between the Bangladeshi government and representatives of Indigenous groups.
Bangladesh became more anti-India → India supported Indigenous rebels → Bangladesh increased its military presence in the CHT.
The Shanti Bahini was the armed/guerrilla wing - They fought against the Bangladeshi government because they wanted greater autonomy and protection for Indigenous people. This led to a long period of armed conflict between the government and Indigenous guerrillas.
so bangladeshi developed a Military strategy, Population strategy (The government continued encouraging Bengali settlement in the CHT.) , and Economic/development strategy (tax benefits, emplyement oppertunities and other)
India gradually became less interested in supporting the armed conflict because it had its own problems with armed groups in its northeastern states. India also wanted the CHT refugees who had fled to India to return to Bangladesh. so they negociated with bangladesh
but they wanted many demands
political autonomy
control over land
limit bengali settlement
recognition of indigenous people
indigenous representation and more
so after years of fightinh they reached peace in 97
Shanti Bahini fighters agreed to give up their weapons
fighters received provisions for amnesty
the government agreed to create a Ministry of CHT Affairs
a Regional Council was created
the government agreed to address land disputes
refugees in India were supposed to be repatriated
some land that had been given to non-Indigenous settlers was supposed to be addressed
Indigenous people were given greater political authority over some regional matters
One major problem was that the government did not fully implement all parts of the agreement.
Resisting Disappearance
In 2016, during a major uprising in Kashmir, more and more women began participating in protests. They protested against human rights abuses and supported the demand for self-determination
After 1989, Men were often the main targets of government forces men were increasingly targeted by soldiers, women sometimes became the ones protecting men.
Women who protest can still be physically and sexually harassed by police and soldiers.
Women were expected to stay mostly inside the home. However, when something serious happened, men would sometimes use mosque loudspeakers to call women into the streets to protest. Because they were seen as less threatening than men. men helped behind the scenes collecting paperwork, communicating with officials
Zooneh explains that women sometimes feel that being in a large group can offer some protection
Many women who initially did not have much formal education became very experienced in dealing with government procedures because of their activism.
The author argues that violence against women can also be used to punish and humiliate the larger community. In many societies, women's bodies are connected to ideas about family and community "honor." Therefore, when a woman is sexually assaulted, the violence can be used to Humiliate her.
dharna = type of protest where people sit together outside a police station, army camp, or other location to demand something. usualy Older women lead the protest. Younger women usually stay toward the back.
their were two major types of civilian protests in Kashmir
Jaloos
spontaneous protest
Men, women, and children may all participate.
During these emotional events, normal rules about gender can break down.
Muzahira
organized and planned demonstration
Zooneh led the women to the military bunker saying “Release the innocent people." "Oppressors, leave our Kashmir." The women asked the soldiers about the arrested boys.
The soldiers claimed that they had not arrested anyone. The women became angry and refused to leave. Eventually: Police vehicles arrived. A soldier fired a warning shot. and everyone ran Later, the body of one of the boys was found near a river.
being a mother gives women a socially accepted reason to become politically active.dea is that motherhood gives women moral authority.
Examples
Missing children
Disappeared people
Soldiers
Victims of political violence
Women are breaking traditional rules, but they are doing so in the socially respected role of a mother.
half-widows = These are women whose husbands have disappeared but whose deaths have not been officially confirmed.
The author points out that there is also a danger in describing these women only as "mothers." they might fail to recognize them as Political activists, Human rights activists and other
ssociation of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) described itself as "apolitical." But the author argues that being "apolitical" can actually be a political strategy.
Because openly declaring a political position in Kashmir can be dangerous. They may avoid directly presenting themselves as a political organization, but their actions still challenge government power.
he author also points out an important difference in language., CNN-IBN referred to the people as "missing persons." (Someone disappeared and nobody knows where they are.) , The APDP and human rights activists use the term "enforced disappearances."( A person was taken or disappeared through the actions of state authorities, and the authorities refuse to acknowledge what happened to them.)
The chapter also explains that language in Kashmir is extremely important.
Tehreeki
Someone who supports the resistance movement.
Hurriyet-wael
Someone associated with the Hurriyat resistance organizations.
Ahlaidgi-pasand
A term meaning something like "separatist." because they don't believe it accurately describes their political position.
Parveena Ahangar - became an important symbol of resistance
inverse camouflage = Military camps were heavily fortified but at the same time, the military displayed beautiful images of Kashmir on the camp walls
The military was deeply integrated into everyday civilian life
Military checkpoints are heavily fortified
Kashmiris are expected to carry ID cards at all times Not having an ID can lead to:Beating, Arrest/detention, Imprisonment, Even death - it becomes a tool of control and surveillance.
men are more likely to be asked for id rather then women
women can be both invisible and hyper visible
not seen as major threats
but solders will objectify them
I found the chapter really interesting because it showed this switch in gender roles. I especially thought it was interesting that women were expected to stay out of politics and public spaces, but because of the conflict, they became symbol of protesting. I also found the idea of ‘visible invisibility’ interesting women could sometimes use the fact that the military didn’t see them as political threats to continue their activism, but at the same time they were still being watched and objectified. so i think the change in traditional roles but still seeing the same sexist root is super interesting.
In class
the grassinero - talk about the need for water and how they dont have access to it and how they have terrible living conditions
have an idea that capitalisism is a category of suffering but their more ways capitalisim affects us. a millionare exist on one side cause a child is working in another.
we might nit be the billlionaires that directyl affect the global soiuth however our lives are still exploitative. even if we live the most frugal lifestyle we unfortunatly are still users of this.
we benifit weaponisim and militarianisim and we usually will say its so far from our daily lives but the things we do on the daily are a product of the selling of bombs
guishmere - when independence movement won and the british governement was remouved from contries it concerned the british governement the fact that all these contries are now allied together . so then it was the particion iof 1947 t was the largist migration
created devistating harms to religious identities that live within the contrie. it was an erasure of multiple identities.
kushmere was split into two - one ruled by pakistand and one part by india. indian governement claim people from kushmere are unstable and dont know anything about their land.
they are now in a hyper surveilled state
religion is usually and reliease for kashmeries so by stoping them from doing that they are fracturing their solidarity to eachother.
theres trainning programs with our military and indian millitary whwere the indians will enforce on the kushmaries
it shows them how to harm basicly
the governement calls them disapearings but its really killings. so mothers use there gender as a way of resistance. alot of normal gender roles fly out the window for this case. they are also using the fact of trying to be invisible to continue their activisim. the miloitary that are deplpoyed there dont speak their language so they will switch into a language that they understand so their insults hit and the military understands them.
zia discusses the men in here almost like ghost. the m others are not limited to care giving their child but their husband too. their solidarities are for all memeber of the communities.
hontonlogy is a mode of resisting, ghost stories are used as resistance against sttler violence. they say the cave is hauted or something and because of all this the settlers did not come to this contry for fear of being possed (they were catholics). it gave autonomy back to image pain as authowordly
the readings are suppost to make us consider and non linear patern
hill track a large part of it was given to pakestand but they didint talk to the kushmere about how they feel. east pakistand will give treated then take it back then gove then take back. the bourgeousi will replace the hierarchy cause they dont want decolonisation to occure since it gave them so. much power. he names this a national concioussness. independence cant be the final goal. l,arge amouts of movements have patriarchal understanding of liberation movement. the hill tracks become a chest piece in the capitalisit game where other states are trying to match the brotish and us. we should question alliance and unity political powers give a false sense of safety. the idea of unity is a false hood. we have hyper militariasation happening. they are trying to create this one perfect identuity across the state
alliances means sharing the satge and their is no hiararcle identity so we see less of this because people will need to give up their power. becuase of its high value of ressouces states wanted the hills. but that dosent mean liberation isisnt possible
we the oppressed did not choose violence it was chosen for us.. they violently killed the indigenous and built canada so the means of getting back their lands isint through treates but for them its violence cause thats how they lost it