Interventions on Democratizing Infrastructure

Abstract

This intervention seeks to revivify democratic thinking in political geography, through foregrounding and pluralising its material and temporal dimensions. At the same time, it speaks to a renewed centrality and relevance of infrastructure and infrastructural projects in political discourse. The contributions included here demonstrate how an infrastructural lens can offer new insights into democratic spaces, practices, and temporalities, offering more expansive versions of what it means to act politically. Specifically, these contributions intervene in existing geographical debates by bringing to the fore four underexplored dimensions of democratic governance: (im) materiality, connectivity, performativity, and temporality. In doing so, it develops a research agenda that broadens and regenerates thinking at the intersection of socio-spatial theory and democratic action and governance.

The Impact of Energy Production on the Introduction of ICT and the Growth of AIC in Kazakhstan

“…Digital and information platforms are focused on the introduction of sensors, energy drones, and big data in the energy sector. This involves controlling and monitoring the operation of power equipment in automatic mode (Van Veelen et al, 2021)). In other words, such electronic technologies contribute to the efficient management and stability of energy regimes.…”

Energy democracy: A digital future?

“…This activism has not eclipsed other methods of citizen-driven political engagement with the energy systemsuch as campaigns, voting or responding to policy and planning consultations [38], but it has diversified the political 'surface' of the energy system with which people can interact. It has also inspired the creation of new 'democratic imaginaries' of energy politics and participation, among which the imaginary associating democratic praxis with community or cooperative ownership of decentralized energy generation assets has achieved particular prevalence [39,40].…”

Colonial Financial Infrastructures and Kenya’s Uneven Fintech Boom

“…2016; Star 1999; Van Veelen et al. 2021). A number of recent contributions have applied this kind of perspective to debates about finance (Aitken 2017; Bernards and Campbell‐Verduyn 2019; de Goede 2021).…”

“…"Infrastructures" are understood here in the broad sense of backgrounded socio-technical systems allowing basic functions and circulations to be carried out (cf. Karasti et al 2016;Star 1999;Van Veelen et al 2021). A number of recent contributions have applied this kind of perspective to debates about finance (Aitken 2017; Bernards and Campbell-Verduyn 2019;de Goede 2021).…”