Politics and The Digital – Digital Sovereignty
The seminar “Politics and The Digital – Digital Sovereignty ” will be held on Thursday, May 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Room 4, main building).
Speaker: Federico Pierucci, Phd Candidate in Human Rights, Global Politics and Sustainability at Sant’anna School of Advanced Studies
Discussant: Gabriele Nanino, Phd Candidate in Human Rights, Global Politics and Sustainability Sant’anna School of Advanced Studies
Abstract
This seminar is the first in the Politics and the Digital series, a cycle of events dedicated to exploring key concepts that structure political thought and action in cyberspace.
As AI systems, ubiquitous computing, and global data infrastructures permeate every aspect of life, cyberspace has become a site of political conflict. Sovereignty is no longer limited to the relationship between political authority and territory, but expands to the control over platforms, standards, technologies, and flows of information. As a result, the very concept of sovereignty is undergoing a profound transformation.
This seminar investigates the evolution of digital sovereignty: first, by tracing its genealogy from early articulations in Chinese telecom policy to its uptake in European strategic discourse; then, by exploring how cyberspace challenges the classical understanding of the concept in political philosophy and demand a conceptual recasting of sovereignty itself. Finally, we turn to practice, examining how states are operationalizing digital sovereignty, and in particular, how it is shaping legislative efforts in the European Union. From data governance to cloud infrastructure and AI regulation, digital sovereignty now anchors a new philosophical, legal and institutional grammar for the digital age.