[Commlist] Cfp: The rise of Tech Occultism - Narratives of AI, Imaginaries, and Digital Cultures in Mobility Control

The rise of Tech Occultism - Narratives of AI, Imaginaries, and Digital 
Cultures in Mobility Control
International Conference on Culture, Crime, and Global Challenges

16-17 April, 2025, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

We invite submissions for a pre-organized panel at the International 
Conference on Culture, Crime, and Global Challengesthat critically 
explores the narratives and imaginaries surrounding Artificial 
Intelligence (AI) in mobility control, forced migration, and law 
enforcement in the European context. This panel focuses on the 
contextual assumptions and cultural frameworks that shape the use and 
perception of AI technologies within the growing conservative political 
climate, particularly in relation to migration and policing practices. 
The selection of papersseeksto unpack how digital cultures, underpinned 
by a “culture of fear” and the “cult of AI,” are constructed and 
challenged through both policy and public discourse.

The panel, titled "Tech Occultism", critically explores the growing 
mystification and fear surrounding AI in the contexts of migration 
control, forced migration, and law enforcement. We investigate how AI 
technologies are framed within a culture of fear,where its technological 
powers are perceived as unpredictable and omnipotent, often seen as part 
of a cult of AIthat promises solutions while also amplifying anxieties. 
Drawing on key theoretical concepts such as Technopanic, Cybernetic 
Totalism, and threat inflation, we examine how AI is increasingly 
portrayed as a powerful, almost mystical force that shapes governance in 
unseen and uncontrollable ways. This ‘sacred’ framing is connected to 
Pasquale’s “unlawfulness by default”, which advocates for proactive 
regulation of algorithmic systems to mitigate the risks associated with 
their hidden and potentially harmful influence. The panel will unpack 
how these narratives —emerging from a culture of fear and the cult-like 
reverence of technology—reinforce and challenge digital governance 
frameworks in the surveillance and policing of migrants, particularly in 
an era of rising political conservatism.

Key themes for this panel include:

  * The narratives around AI and migration control
  * The “culture of fear” in digital governance
  * The “cult of AI” in law enforcement cultures
  * The impact of AI-driven digital cultures on human rights, privacy,
    and exclusion
  * Imaginaries of surveillance and control
  * Resistance to AI in governance

We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from digital criminology, 
Science and Technology Studies (STS), social anthropology, political 
science, and cultural studies. Submissions should critically engage with 
the cultural, political, and ethical dimensions of AI technologies, 
offering insights into the imaginaries, assumptions, and contested 
narratives surrounding digital governance.

Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) and a brief biography to 
Veronika Nagy at (v.nagy /at/ uu.nl)<mailto:(v.nagy /at/ uu.nl)>by February 25, 2025. 
We look forward to your contributions and to engaging in a dynamic 
discussion on these critical issues at the conference!

See the Conference website here: International Conference on Culture, 
Crime, and Global Challenges - News & Events - Utrecht 
University<https://www.uu.nl/en/events/international-conference-on-culture-crime-and-global-challenges>


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