| ISBN | 9789956552818 |
| Pages | 372 |
| Dimensions | 229 x 152mm |
| Published | 2022 |
| Publisher | Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon |
| Format | Paperback |
Sovereignty Becoming Pulvereignty
Unpacking the Dark Side of Slave 4.0 Within Industry 4.0 in Twenty-First Century Africa
edited by Artwell Nhemachena, Oliver Mtapuri, Munyaradzi Mawere
This book delves into the topical issue of the future of humanity and of being African in a world increasingly subjected to the power of technology and the dominance of a mercilessly self-absolved global elite. A slave is not only someone who is materially impoverished but also someone who is deprived of autonomy and sovereignty in the sense of being physically or virtually chained or shackled to human and nonhuman networks that negate the essence of the "I" or the "self". Discoursing the neologism slave 4.0 with the ongoing 21st century revolutions designed to create flat ontologies, this book argues that the world is witnessing not only the emergence of industry 4.0 but also the concomitant emergence of slave 4.0. Whereas historically, Africans were physically captured and transported across the Atlantic Ocean, minds of twenty-first century Africans are set to be nanotechnologically scanned, captured and transferred to the metaverse where they will neither own natural resources nor biologically reproduce. The book is handy for scholars in sociology, anthropology, political science, government studies, development studies, digital humanities, environmental studies, religious studies, theology, missiology, science and technology studies.
Reviews
"The papers here are a collection of vigorous and salient arguments advanced by emergent African scholarship which attempts with radical tenor to clarify the contradictions of African society. The notion of sovereignty is employed to examine the societal dynamics of contemporary Africa. The papers display intellectual originality, freshness and authority in the explorations they make. For academics, this volume is an encouraging product of our times and would serve to define African realities more autonomously."
"In this outstanding book, the authors assert that progress since the Industrial Revolution has generated freedom for some by enslaving others. Many are forced to work for the global elites. Pretending to create a bright future, globalisation causes profound disparities and fragmentation. We are warned not to forget that the world has been built on the bases of sacrifices that have only become more insidious. The arguments of the book are by no means exclusively about Africa."
About the Editors
Artwell Nhemachena holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Cape Town. He has lectured at a number of universities in Zimbabwe. Currently he lectures in Sociology at the University of Namibia. He has published journal papers, book chapters and books on violence and conflict, relational ontologies and resilience, environment, development, democracy, research methods, humanitarianism and civil society organisations, anthropological jurisprudence, mining, society and politics, religion, industrial sociology, decoloniality and social theory. He is a laureate and active member of CODESRIA since 2010.
Oliver Mtapuri is holds a PhD in Development Studies. He is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
Munyaradzi Mawere is a Professor in the Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. He holds a PhD in Social Anthropology; a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology; a second Master’s Degree in Philosophy; a third Master’s Degree in Development Studies; BA (Hons) Degree in Philosophy; Certificate in Tertiary and Higher Learning; Certificate in Information Technology; and a Certificate in Diplomacy, Negotiation and Bargaining. He is an author of more than 50 books and over 200 academic publications straddling the following areas: poverty and development studies, African philosophy, cultural philosophy, democracy, politics of food production, humanitarianism and civil society organisations, urban anthropology, existential anthropology, environmental anthropology, society and politics, religion, decoloniality and African studies.