The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and new Colonialism: An Afrikan feminist-decolonialist perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63569/ajopac/07/01/06Keywords:
digital colonialism , 4IR , future of work, corporate colonialism, Afrikan feminsit-decolonialist perspective, critcal discourse analysisAbstract
This particular article offers an overview of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and argues that it is part of a new form of digital colonialism which is exercised through the centralised ownership and control by the technologically advanced global economies (such as the United States and China) of the three core pillars of the digital ecosystem: software, hardware, and network connectivity (Muldoon and Wu, 2023). It further contends that work — and workers — in their current form may have a limited future in this digitally colonised world. This is because the brave new world of digital work expands existing social, racial, geographical, and gendered exclusions.
This poses tangible concerns for the Afrika region, including a country like South Africa, where the rate of formal labour absorption is as low as 20 per cent and where most labour-eligible people work partially or fully in the parallel or 'informal' economy. The article recommends great caution as Afrikan states wholeheartedly trumpet this new era without adequate consideration for the existing structural deficits in the skills and labour market, and social, gender, racial and class prejudices that already dispossess large portions of society, rendering them 'surplus people'. Furthermore, this is a continent with a demographic bulge of young people. The prospects for creating an enabling, vibrant economy for them to thrive and sustain themselves and the broader community are further compromised by 4IR, a spectre of further dislocation and digital colonisation.
References
References
Abdulzaher, M. (2019). How AI and 4IR will revive the world economy by 2050. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-ai-4ir-revive-world-economy-2050-mohamed-abdulzaher
Adesina, O. A. (2020). Women and colonialism across Africa. In O. Yacob-Haliso & T. Falola (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of African women studies (pp. 1–16). Palgrave Macmillan.
African Development Bank. (2019). African economic outlook 2019. African Development Bank. https://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/publications/african-economic-outlook
Amadiume, I. (1987). Male daughters, female husbands: Gender and sex in an African society. Zed Press.
Amin, S. (1972). Underdevelopment and dependence in Black Africa – Origins and contemporary forms. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 10(4), 503–524. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X00022801
Amin, S. (1976). Unequal development: An essay on the social formations of peripheral capitalism. Harvester Press.
Amin, S. (1997). Capitalism in the era of globalization: The management of contemporary society. Zed Books.
Amin, S. (2001). Imperialism and globalization. Monthly Review, 53(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.14452/mr-053-02-2001-06_2
Axium Education. (2021). People’s education for people’s power. https://www.axiumeducation.org/peoples-education-for-peoples-power
Bayne, S., & Ross, J. (2011). ‘Digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’ discourses. In R. Land & S. Bayne (Eds.), Digital difference: Educational futures – Rethinking theory and practice (Vol. 50, pp. 159–170). Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-580-2_12
Benyera, E. (2021). The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the recolonisation of Africa: The coloniality of data. Routledge.
Benyera, E., Francis, R., & Jazbhay, A. H. (2020). Challenging discourse and searching for alternative paths: Justice, human rights and leadership in Africa. In Reimagining justice, human rights and leadership in Africa: Challenging discourse and searching for alternative paths (pp. 3–20). Springer.
Benyera, E., Mtapuri, O., & Nhemachena, A. (2018). The man, human rights, transitional justice and African jurisprudence in the twenty-first century. In A. Nhemachena, T. V. Warikandwa, & S. K. Amoo (Eds.), Social and legal theory in the age of decoloniality (pp. 187–218). Langaa RPCID.
Briggs, J., & Kodnani, D. (2023). The potentially large effects of artificial intelligence on economic growth. Key4biz. https://www.key4biz.it/global-economics-analyst-the-potentially-large-effects-of-artificial-intelligence-on-economic-growth-briggskodnani/432560/
Carrim, N. (2022). 4IR in South Africa and some of its educational implications. Journal of Education, 86, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i86a01
Here are the next 15 references reformatted into APA 7 style with URLs or DOIs where available:
Chiodelli, F. (2022). The concept of neo-apartheid (cities): In defense of its restrictive use. Society and Space. https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/the-concept-of-neo-apartheid-cities-in-defense-of-its-restrictive-use
Codagnone, C., Abadie, F., & Biagi, F. (2016). The future of work in the sharing economy: Market efficiency and equitable opportunities or unfair precarisation. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Cole, D. (2014). Michael Hayden: “We kill people based on metadata.” Just Security. https://www.justsecurity.org/2014/05/12/hayden-metadata-kill-people/
Coleman, D. (2019). Digital colonialism: The 21st-century scramble for Africa through the extraction and control of user data and the limitations of data protection laws. Michigan Journal of Race & Law, 24(2), 417–439.
Damon, C. (2022). Fighting Amazon’s neo-colonialism in Cape Town. Progressive International. https://progressive.international/wire/2022-02-08-fighting-amazons-neo-colonialism-in-cape-town/en
Datta, P. (2023). The promise and challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, 13(1), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/20438869211056938
Davis, N. (2016). What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/
De Stefano, V., & Aloisi, A. (2018). European legal framework for digital labour platforms. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Deedat, H. (2020). The Fourth Industrial Revolution a “fait accompli” as a euphemism for restructuring? Can labour still influence the agenda? South African Labour Bulletin, 43(2/3), 27–30.
Diphoko, W. (2019). Opinion: Is Africa being recolonised through tech? IOL Technology. https://www.iol.co.za/technology/opinion-is-africa-being-recolonised-through-tech-29083464
Dissel, B. (2004). Surveillance, big data and democracy: Lessons for Australia from the US and UK. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 37(2), 713–747. https://doi.org/10.3366/ajicl.2011.0005
Dube, S. I. (2021). The new religious political right in neo-apartheid South Africa. Religion and Theology, 28(3–4), 153–178. https://doi.org/10.1163/15743012-bja10028
Erixon, L. (2011). Under the influence of traumatic events, new ideas, economic experts and the ICT revolution: The economic policy and macroeconomic performance of Sweden in the 1990s and 2000s. In Mjøset, L. (Ed.), The Nordic varieties of capitalism (pp. 265–330). Bingley: Emerald Publishing.
Feder, B. J. (1986, June 13). I.B.M. is shedding South Africa unit; Pressure is cited. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/13/business/ibm-is-shedding-south-africa-unit-pressure-is-cited.html
FitchSolutions. (2022). Mining and metals key themes for 2023. https://www.fitchsolutions.com/corporates/mining-and-metals-key-themes-2023-01-11
Flanagan M. & Jakobsson, M. (2023). Playing Oppression: The Legacy of Conquest and Empire in Colonialist Board Games. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Friedman, T.L. (2007). The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the 21st Century. New York: Picador.
Gamboa, E.C. (1988). Globalization of Industry Through Production Sharing. In Globalization of Technology: International Perspectives. (86-105). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/1101.
Gavaza, M. (2019, May 23). Huawei’s Future in SA Called into Question: The Chinese Company’s Foothold in the Local Market Could Prove Shaky if the US Ban Becomes Permanent, Business Day.
Gill, R. and Pratt, A. (2008). In The Social Factory? Immaterial Labour, Precariousness and Cultural Work. Theory, Culture & Society, [online] 25(7-8), pp.1–30. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276408097794.
Goldschein, E. (2011). The Incredible Story of How De Beers Created and Lost the Most Powerful Monopoly Ever. Available at: The History of De Beers and Diamonds (businessinsider.com).
Harris, R. I., & Seid, M. J. (2000). Critical perspectives on globalization and neoliberalism in the developing countries. Journal of Development Studies, 36(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220389908422672
Haywood, T. (1998). Global Networks and the Myth of Equality: Trickle down or Trickle away? In: Cyberspace Divides Equality, Agency and Policy in the Information Society (19–34). New York, NY: Routledge.
Hongoro, C., Adonis, C. & Sobane, K. (eds). (2022). Innovation for Inclusive Development and Transformation in South Africa. South Africa: AOSIS Publishing.
International Labour Organisation [ILO]. (2023). World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023. Available at: wcms_865332.pdf (ilo.org).
Jerath, K.S. (2021). Science, Technology and Modernity: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Switzerland: Springer Nature.
Kerby, E., Moradi, A. & Jedwab, R. (2017). History, Path Dependence and Development: Evidence from Colonial Railways, Settlers and Cities in Kenya. Economic Journal, Vol. 127(603): 1467 – 1494.
Kincheloe, J.I., Steinberg, S.R. & Tippins, D.J. (1999). The Stigma of Genius: Einstein, Consciousness and Education. Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Kuyoro, M., Leke, A., White, O., Kartik, J., Kendyll, J., Editor, H. and Strom, S. (2023). Reimagining Economic Growth in Africa: Turning Diversity Into Opportunity. Available at:
Kwet, M. (2019a). Digital Colonialism: US Empire and the New Imperialism in the Global South. Race & Class, Vol. 60 (4): 3-26. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396818823172.
Kwet, M. (2019b). Digital Colonialism is Threatening the Global South. Available at: Digital colonialism is threatening the Global South | Science and Technology | Al Jazeera.
Kwet, M. (2021). Digital Colonialism: The Evolution of American Empire. ROAR Magazine, 3.
Lavelle, K. C. (2004). The politics of equality in emerging markets. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264303.001.0001
Lall, S. (2001). Competitiveness, Technology and Skills. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Lall, S. (2003). Indicators of the Relative Importance of IPRs in developing Countries. Research Policy, Vol. 32(9): 1657-1680.
Lebeuf, A.M. (1963). The Role of Women in the Political Organization of African Societies. In: Women of Tropical Africa. (93-119). Edited by Paulme, D. Routledge: London.
Li, R. & Peng. S. (2021). Why Live Commerce? – A New Growth Point of Online Shopping. Available at: https://polymathv.com/why-live-commerce-is-the-future-of-online-shopping/.
Lye, D. (2017). The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Challenges for Government. Available at: The Fourth Industrial Revolution And Challenges For Government | GE News.
Madlingozi, T. (2017). Social Justice in a Time of Neo-Apartheid Constitutionalism: Critiquing the Anti-Black Economy of Recognition, Incorporation and Distribution. Available at: Madlingozi_Social_2017.pdf (up.ac.za).
Mahlatsi, M. (2020). The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Another Industrial Revolution Leaving Black Women Behind? The Thinker, Vol. 83(1): 24–28. doi: https://doi.org/10.36615/thethinker.v83i1.225.
McKinsey. (2022). The Future of Work in South Africa. Available at: The future of work in South Africa In Brief (mckinsey.com).
Meagher, K. (2019). Working in Chains: African Informal Workers and Global Value Chains. Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 8(1-2): 64-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277976019848567.
Mhlanga, D. & Moloi, T. (2020). The Stakeholder Theory in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, Vol. 12(2): 352-368. doi: 10.34109/ijefs.202012207.
Michalopoulos, S. & Papaioannou, E. (2021). European Colonialism in Africa Is Alive. Available at: European Colonialism in Africa Is Alive by Stelios Michalopoulos & Elias Papaioannou - Project Syndicate (project-syndicate.org).
Mlaba, K. (2021). How is South Africa’s Digital Divide Making Inequality Worse in the Country? Available at: How Is South Africa's Digital Divide Making Inequality Worse in the Country? (globalcitizen.org).
Molelekwa, T. (2022). Analysis: Reflections on TAC’s Future as New Leadership is elected. Available at: ANALYSIS: Reflections on TAC’s future as new leadership elected • Spotlight (spotlightnsp.co.za).
Moll, I. (2021). The Myth of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Theoria, Vol. 68(167): 1-38.
Mudimbe, V.Y. (1988). The Invention of Africa. London: James Curry.
Nagar, M. (2021). Social Structure and Social Mobility. In: 2021 Macro-Social Report. Johannesburg: The Presidency, The University of Johannesburg, and Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection.
Negri, A. (1989). The Politics of Subversion: A Manifesto for the Twenty-First century. Cambridge: Polity.
Nhemachena, A., Warikandwa, T.V. & Amoo, S.K. (eds.) Social and Legal Theory in the Age of Decoloniality: (Re-)Envisioning African Jurisprudence in the 21st Century. Bamenda, Cameroon, CM: Langaa RPCID.
Ogunsola, L.A. (2005). Information and Communication Technologies and the Effects of Globalization: Twenty-First Century ‘Digital Slavery’ for Developing Countries – Myth or Reality? Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, Vol. 6(1-2).
Ó’Gráda, C. (2016). Did Science Cause the Industrial Revolution?" Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 54(1): 224-39. DOI: 10.1257/jel.54.1.224.
Ojo, T.A. & Segone, K. (2022). Women are Being Squeezed Out of the digital economy. Available at: Women are being squeezed out of the digital economy (daily maverick.co.za).
Ossome, L. (2018). Gender, Ethnicity, and Violence in Kenya’s Transitions to Democracy: States of Violence. London: Lexington Books.
Owasanoye, D. (2020). The Role of Women in the Fourth Industrial Revolution | Exploring Economics. Available at: https://www.exploring-economics.org/en/discover/role-of-women-fourth-industrial-revolution/.
Oyewumi, O. (1997), The Invention of Women. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.
Pheko, L.L. (2022). The Case for Equality of 4IR Capital. Available at: (13) The Case for Equality of 4IR Capital | LinkedIn.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, Vol. 9(5): 1 – 6.
Prescod-Weinstein, C. (2021). What Richard Branson and his Critics Both Get Wrong about Equal Access to Space. Available at: Opinion | What Richard Branson and his critics both get wrong about equal access to space - The Washington Post.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, (2018). Women Remain Under-Represented in Emerging Tech. PricewaterhouseCoopers. Available at: https:// www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/changing-gender-perceptions-and- behaviours-in-the-workplace.html
Quach, S., Thaichon, P., Martin, K., Weaven, S. & Palmatier, R. (2022). Digital Technologies: Tensions in Privacy and Data. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 50. 10.1007/s11747-022-00845-y.
Randriamaro, Z. (2006). Gender and Trade. Available at: Trade-OR-Final.doc (s2bnetwork.org).
Rennie, J., Israel, M., Hishon, R., Kelliher, K. & Heitmann, M. (2023). All Change? The New Digital Market, Competition and Consumers Bill. Available at: All change? The new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill | White & Case LLP (whitecase.com).
Republic of South Africa. (2019). National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper. Available at: Electronic Communications Act: National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper (www.gov.za).
Republic of South Africa. (2023). Government Provides Infrastructure to Aid internet Connectivity. Available at: Government provides infrastructure to aid internet connectivity | SAnews.
Rikap, C. & Lundvall, B-Å. (2021). The Digital Innovation Race: Conceptualizing the Emerging New World Order. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-89443-6.
Roberts, L. (2022). ‘More Could be Done’: Combating South Africa’s Record-High Unemployment. Forbes. Available at: ‘More Could Be Done’: Combating South Africa’s Record-High Unemployment - Forbes Africa.
Rodney, W. (1973). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Tanzania and London: Bogle- L’Ouverture Publications and Tanzanian Publishing House. Doi: 10.2307/217137.
Rudra, N., & Tobin, J. (2017). When Does Globalization Help the Poor? Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 20: 287-307.
Santoru, M. (1996). The Colonial Idea of Women and Direct Intervention: The Mau Mau Case. African Affairs: The Journal of the Royal African Society, Vol. 95(379): 253–267.
Schwab, K. (2016). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. London: Penguin UK.
Sharife, K. and Bond, P. (2011). Above and Beyond South Africa’s Mineral-Energy Complex. In: New South African Review 2. (279-99). Edited by Pillay, S., Daniel, J., Naidoo, P. and Southhall, R. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Shivji, I. (2009). Accumulation in an African Periphery: A Theoretical Framework. Tanzania: Mkuki na Nyota Publishers Ltd.
Shivji, I. (2019). Social Responsibility of Intellectuals in Building Counter-Hegemonies. Dar es Salaam: University of Dar es Salaam.
Speck, A. (2017). The Fourth Industrial Revolution is not Our Revolution. Available at: The Fourth Industrial Revolution is not Our Revolution | Andrea Speck.
Tafira, C.K. and Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. (2017). Beyond Coloniality of Markets-Exploring the Neglected Dimensions of the Land Question from Endogenous African Decolonial Epistemological Perspectives. Africa Insight, Vol. 46(4): 9–24.
Tamale, S. (1996). Taking the Beast by its Horns: Formal Resistance to Women’s Oppression in Africa. Africa Development / Afrique et Développement, Vol. 21(4): 5–21. Doi: http://www.jstor.org/stable/24482766.
Tejani, S. and Fujuda-Parr, S. (2021). Gender and COVID-19: Workers in Global Value Chains. International Labour Review, 160: 649-667. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12225.
Toynbee, A.J. (1956). A Study of History: What I Am Trying to Do? Diogenes, Vol. 4(13): 6-10. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/039219215600401302.
Uger, E.T. (2023). The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Techno-Colonialism, and the Sub-Saharan Africa Response. Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, Vol. 12(1): 33 – 48.
United Nations. (2000). Committee for Development Policy Report. Available at: N0043517.pdf (un.org).
Van Dijk, J.A.G.M. & Hacker, K. (2003). The Digital Divide as a Complex and Dynamic Phenomenon. The Information Society, Vol. 19(4): 315-326. doi: 10.1080/01972240309487.
Vaidhyanathan, S. (2011). The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry). California: University of California Press.
World Bank. (2022). Inequality in Southern Africa: An Assessment of the Southern African Customs Union. Available at: World Bank Document.
Zastrow, C. (2016). Empowerment series: Introduction to Social Work and social welfare: Empowering People. Boston: Cengage Learning
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Lebohang Liepollo Pheko (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0)
