PhD defence Arthur Gwagwa: Re-imagining African Unity in the Age of Digital Domination and AI

On Friday 20 December, Arthur Gwagwa will defend his PhD dissertation ‘Re-imagining African Unity in a Digitally Interdependent World’. In his dissertation, Gwagwa examines how socially disruptive technologies from the 21st century – particularly artificial intelligence (AI) – influence African institutions and cultures, challenging traditional concepts of unity in African moral thinking.

Digital dominance

Gwagwa explores the geopolitical competition between the United States, China, Russia, and the European Union, highlighting how their pursuit for digital dominance threatens African autonomy and self-determination. He argues that foreign algorithms and data systems limit African agency, deepen inequalities, and undermine local decision-making.

Gwagwa also critiques the way some African leaders misuse the concept of unity to maintain power and suppress human rights. These leaders, he says, sometimes align with China and Russia in ways that weaken Africa’s control over its own digital systems and technologies.

African unity

Despite the challenges, Gwagwa argues that unity holds emancipatory potential when understood as non-domination. By examining historical examples of Pan-Africanism, he demonstrates how the concept of unity can inspire new ways of thinking that challenge digital oppression.

In his thesis, Gwagwa proposes a global and inclusive approach to unity that balances communal and individual values. This, he argues, can enable collective self-determination and effective resistance against unjust AI regulations.