This research seminar explores contentious practices in two complementary ways: one deals with the uses of digital technologies in social movements, the other examines modes of resistance and protest related to digital technologies. An introductory part of the seminar sheds light on contentious practices, social movements and resistance from sociological and anthropological perspectives. Then, the remaining sessions are dedicated to the two main orientations. The first one focuses on how digital technologies are changing the nature of socio-political protests and the movements’ organisations, while the other delves into recent activities contesting, resisting or avoiding digital technologies. Use of social media or hacking techniques, enrolment of geeks in social movements, digital tech in use at demonstrations, protest against digital capitalism, resistance against AI, circumvention of surveillance technologies or vandalism against data centres are a few examples of topics we will analyse to better understand political imagination and shifting power relationships in the digital society.

Students will read and discuss key texts for each section and will choose one topic from one or the other orientation. In addition, they will write a blog article related to a protest event or a movement to contribute to a growing archive related to digital technologies hosted at the University of Fribourg.