[Commlist] Call for Chapters: Data Politics in the Global Majority

*Call for Chapters – Data Politics in the Global Majority*
/Edited Volume on AI Development, Data Sovereignty, and Digital Futures/
We invite proposals for chapters in a forthcoming edited volume that 
examines how data politics shapes technological development, governance 
structures, and lived experiences across Global Majority contexts. This 
collection will center perspectives, methodologies, and case studies 
that challenge or complement Western-centric conceptualizations of data 
and AI systems, highlighting alternative frameworks emerging from 
diverse socio-cultural environments.
*Context*
The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence systems reflects and 
reinforces existing global power asymmetries. While critical scholarship 
has interrogated data extraction and algorithmic governance in Western 
contexts, less attention has been given to how communities, 
institutions, and nations in the Global Majority navigate, resist, and 
reconfigure these infrastructures. This volume aims to establish a 
conceptual framework for understanding data politics that centers Global 
Majority perspectives, examining how technological systems are embedded 
in specific historical, cultural, and political contexts while 
contributing to broader theoretical debates.
*Primary Research Themes*
We particularly welcome submissions addressing:

 1.
    *Data Infrastructure and Digital Sovereignty* – e.g., ethnographic
    analyses of data center development, regulatory frameworks for data
    localization, postcolonial power dynamics in infrastructure governance.
 2.
    *Language Data and AI Development* – e.g., empirical studies of
    non-European language datasets, multilingual AI initiatives,
    translation practices and power relations.
 3.
    *Alternative AI Development Models* – e.g., community-centered AI
    governance, culturally specific ethics frameworks, integration of
    traditional knowledge systems.
 4.
    *Labor and Data Production* – e.g., political economy of data work,
    AI supply chain labor conditions, alternative models for data work
    and collective action.

*Secondary Research Themes*
We also welcome proposals on:

  *
    Health Data and Medical AI
  *
    Financial Inclusion and Data Politics
  *
    Agricultural Data and Food Sovereignty
  *
    Education Data and Knowledge Production
  *
    Urban Data Politics and Smart Cities
  *
    Climate Data and Environmental Justice
  *
    Digital Identity Systems and Citizenship
  *
    Cultural Heritage Data and Digital Preservation
  *
    Migration Data and Border Technologies
  *
    Religious and Spiritual Data Practices

*Methodological Approaches*
All methodologies are welcome, including ethnography, historical 
analysis, policy evaluation, critical discourse analysis, practice-based 
research, and theoretical interventions. Contributions should engage 
substantively with empirical realities and offer conceptual insights.
*Submission Guidelines*

  *
    *Abstract*: 500 words outlining focus, methodology, and primary
    arguments.
  *
    *Biography*: 150 words, including institutional affiliation and
    relevant publications.
  *
    *Theme Indication*: State which primary or secondary theme your
    proposal addresses.

*Timeline*

  *
    Abstract submission deadline: *October 1, 2025*
  *
    Notification of acceptance: *October 15, 2025*
  *
    Full chapter submission (6,000–8,000 words): *January 31, 2026*
  *
    Anticipated publication: *October 2026*

*Publication*
We have already initiated discussions with several presses, including 
Routledge and Bloomsbury Academic/Zed Books, both of which have 
expressed strong interest in the project. Editors at these presses are 
now awaiting the finalized list of chapters. No payment from authors 
will be required.
*Contact*
Please send abstracts and queries to: *(erkan.saka /at/ bilgi.edu.tr)*
Include “/Data Politics in the Global Majority – Chapter Proposal/” in 
the subject line.
This volume seeks to make a significant scholarly contribution by 
centering Global Majority perspectives, challenging dominant 
technological narratives, and documenting emerging alternatives. We look 
forward to your proposals.



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