[Air-L] cfp The rise of Tech Occultism - Narratives of AI, Imaginaries, and Digital Cultures in Mobility Control

Fri Jan 31 03:45:09 PST 2025

Call for Papers: Pre-Organized Panel
The rise of Tech Occultism - Narratives of AI, Imaginaries, and Digital Cultures in Mobility Control
International Conference on Culture, Crime, and Global Challenges
16-17 April, 2025, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
We invite submissions for a pre-organized panel at the International Conference on Culture, Crime, and Global Challenges that critically explores the narratives and imaginaries surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mobility control, forced migration, and law enforcement in the European context. This panel focuses on the contextual assumptions and cultural frameworks that shape the use and perception of AI technologies within the growing conservative political climate, particularly in relation to migration and policing practices. The selection of papers seeks to unpack how digital cultures, underpinned by a "culture of fear" and the "cult of AI," are constructed and challenged through both policy and public discourse.
The panel, titled "Tech Occultism", critically explores the growing mystification and fear surrounding AI in the contexts of migration control, forced migration, and law enforcement. We investigate how AI technologies are framed within a culture of fear, where its technological powers are perceived as unpredictable and omnipotent, often seen as part of a cult of AI that promises solutions while also amplifying anxieties. Drawing on key theoretical concepts such as Technopanic, Cybernetic Totalism, and threat inflation, we examine how AI is increasingly portrayed as a powerful, almost mystical force that shapes governance in unseen and uncontrollable ways. This 'sacred' framing is connected to Pasquale's "unlawfulness by default", which advocates for proactive regulation of algorithmic systems to mitigate the risks associated with their hidden and potentially harmful influence. The panel will unpack how these narratives -emerging from a culture of fear and the cult-like reverence of technology-reinforce and challenge digital governance frameworks in the surveillance and policing of migrants, particularly in an era of rising political conservatism.
Key themes for this panel include:

  *   The narratives around AI and migration control: How are AI technologies framed in political and public discourse, and what imaginaries do they produce regarding migration, security, and border enforcement?
  *   The role of AI in reinforcing cultural assumptions about migration, security, and societal risk
  *   The "culture of fear" in digital governance: How does fear of technological overreach, datafication, and surveillance intersect with political and social anxieties, particularly concerning forced migrants?
  *   The "cult of AI" in law enforcement cultures: How are AI technologies framed as solutions to complex societal problems, and how do these narratives shape institutional practices in policing and migration management?
  *   The impact of AI-driven digital cultures on human rights, privacy, and exclusion, particularly within marginalized migrant communities
  *   Imaginaries of surveillance and control: How do digital tools like predictive policing, facial recognition, and biometric tracking shape the experiences of migrants and the public's understanding of state authority?
  *   Resistance to AI in governance: How do activists, policymakers, and communities challenge the deployment of AI in migration and policing, and how do these contestations interact with broader cultural and political narratives?
We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from digital criminology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), social anthropology, political science, and cultural studies. Submissions should critically engage with the cultural, political, and ethical dimensions of AI technologies, offering insights into the imaginaries, assumptions, and contested narratives surrounding digital governance.
Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) and a brief biography to Veronika Nagy at v.nagy at uu.nl<mailto:v.nagy at uu.nl> by February 25, 2025.
We look forward to your contributions and to engaging in a dynamic discussion on these critical issues at the conference!
See the Conference website here: International Conference on Culture, Crime, and Global Challenges - News & Events - Utrecht University<https://www.uu.nl/en/events/international-conference-on-culture-crime-and-global-challenges>
Kinds regards,
Veronika Nagy