Digital Inequalities.
Divides, Hierarchies, and Boundaries in Germany, 1970s to 1990s.
The advent of digital technologies in the 20th century has fundamentally changed the way we live and work.
From a 21st century perspective, these changes are referred to as the rise of a new "digital society". According to its founding myths, this society is based on an emancipatory use of technology, universal access and new forms of interactivity. However, contrary to all the utopian dreams associated with the 'computer revolution', the digital society has quickly developed its own hierarchies, erected new digital walls and created new digital divides.
The Leibniz Research Group takes up the German case in its transnational contexts to investigate how and why such divisions, hierarchies and borders have arisen.
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Walls, Martyrs, Merchandise: Welcome to the Border Theme Park
At India’s militarized borders, nationalism meets tourism and digital control. From Wagah to Nadabet, border spaces are turning into patriotic theme parks. This post traces how physical spectacle and biometric systems intersect—and what they reveal about the digital future of belonging.
Hacking History: Reviewing 38C3's Contributions to the History of Digital Inequalities
At the dnd of December 2024, the 38th Chaos Communications Congress (38C3) took place in Hamburg. Under the motto “Illegal Instructions” the international hacker scene & friends discussed topics around technology, society and utopia. Some of the talks are available as recordings on the CCC media page. Three talks are recommended here, because they are particularly relevant to questions of the history of digital inequalities.
Conference Report Europast
The second Europast summer school is a collaborative project between the C2DH in Luxemburg, the Center for Contemporary History in Potsdam, and the University of Lund, Sweden. The overarching topic was using digital tools for public history projects. The conference took place on the Belval campus of the University of Luxemburg from July 1 to 4, 2024.