The American University of Rome (AUR), in collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and the Universität Bayreuth, hosted the second edition of its annual workshop series "Digitality: The Maker of (New?) Political World Orders" on September 19, 2025. This year’s theme, “Digitality and Coloniality,” brought together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from across the globe to examine the profound challenges posed by the digital revolution and the rise of artificial intelligence.
The event featured contributions from experts representing Bangladesh, Brazil, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Waddick Doyle of the American University of Paris, who explored the global implications of the concentrated power of emerging technologies.
Discussions probed the intersections of technology, politics, and power, asking whether the Fourth Industrial Revolution is giving rise to “new colonialisms.” Topics included digital labor, surveillance and data mining, the role of private entrepreneurship in information ownership, and the use of AI in warfare.
Alongside the formal presentations, participants engaged in interactive sessions and a concluding debate hosted by AUR’s International Relations Club, which explored both the threats and opportunities of artificial intelligence.
Reflecting on the day, participant Alessandro Masoni, PhD, Architect, commented: “I loved the ‘Digitality & Coloniality’ workshop at The American University of Rome. It was a powerful reminder that we need to step more often outside our professional silos. It's crucial for designers to understand critical theories about power, data, and culture because these forces shape every space we build, both physical and digital.”
Professor Irene Caratelli, Director of the International Relations and Global Politics program at The American University of Rome highlighted the importance of such dialogue: “As a liberal arts institution with a global outlook, AUR is committed to addressing the pressing questions of our time. This workshop exemplifies how academia can convene international voices to better understand - and shape - the political realities of the digital age.”
The Digitality and Coloniality workshop underscored both the risks and transformative potential of digital technologies. By fostering critical reflection and cross-disciplinary exchange, AUR and its partners aim to contribute meaningfully to the global conversation on the future of power, freedom, and responsibility in the digital era.
The full program:
DIGITALITY AND COLONIALITY
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ROME (AUR), AUDITORIUM
September 19th, 2025
9:30 – Welcome address by head of IR department, Professor Irene Caratelli
9:45 – Introduction to the theme of the workshop by organizers Claudia Favarato (University of Bayreuth) and Benedetta Lanfranchi (AUR)
10:15 – Keynote by Professor Waddick Doyle (American University Paris) “What the resistance to the attention economy can learn from earlier anti colonial struggles”
11:30 – Panel 1: The Political Economy of Digital Coloniality - Chair Irene Caratelli
- Matteo Caravani (Università Roma Tre) “Accumulation by (un)certainty in the era of surveillance capitalism”
- Nazam Laila (Chatham House) “Decolonising transhumanism: unequal biotechnological futures in the age of digital colonialism”
14:00 - Interactive session by Bethânia Monteforte Sasseron and Delso de Cássio Batista Júnior, “Envisioning AI Through Reflexivity: Co-creating Contextual Ethical Strategies and Frameworks”
15:30 - Panel 2: Mapping and Resisting Digital Coloniality - Chair Catherine Cornet
- Claudia Favarato and Benedetta Lanfranchi, “Digitality and the sub-real”
- Walter Lippold (Universidade Federal de Rio Grande do Sul) “A crítica anticolonial de Fanon e a descolonização da tecnologia”
- Michelle Clarke, “Algorithmic reasoning: calculating the human in African science fiction”
16: 30 – Debate by the AUR IR Club
- Topic: “Generative AI and the extermination of human creativity and labour”
Debaters: Alessandro Allegrini, Elena Jakovljević, Christopher Teixeira, Nicholas Urich
Moderator: Yasmine Sumagin, President of the debate club
17: 30 – Concluding remarks